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SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 



SKETCHES 



FROM MY LIFE 



BY THE LATE 

ADMIRAL HOBART PASHA 



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WITH A PORTRAIT , . 



NEW YORK 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 

1887 



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PEEFACE. 



These pages were tlie last ever written by tlie 
brave and true-hearted sailor of whose life they are 
a simple record. 

A few months before his death, some of his 
friends made the fortunate suggestion that he 
should put on paper a detailed account of his sport- 
ing adventures, and this idea gradually developed 
itself until the work took the present form of an 
autobiography, written roughly, it is true, and put 
together without much method, part of it being 
dictated at the Riviera during the last days of the 
author's fatal illness. Such as it is, however, we are 



vi PREFACE 

convinced tliat the many devoted friends of Hobart 
Pasha wlio now lament his death will be glad to 
recall in these ^ Sketches ' the adventures and sports 
which some of them shared with him, and the genial 
disposition and manly qualities which endeared him 
to them alL 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTEE PAGB 

I. A EOUGH STAET IN LIFE .... I 

II. PERILS BY SEA AND LAND . . . . 14 

III. A TRAGICAL AFFAIR 27 

IV. RIO DE JANEIRO 36 

V. SLAVER HUNTING 43 

VI. SLAVER HUNTING {continued) . . . 53 

VII. LOVE AND MURDER . . • . • 62 

VIII. THE queen's yacht 71 

IX. IN THE BALTIC ..... 78 

X. BLOCKADE -RUNNING 87 

XI. EXCITING ADVENTURES . . . .103 

XII. A VISIT TO CHARLESTON . . . . 120 

XIII. NEVER CAUGHT ! 133 

XIV. LAST DAYS ON THE *D— N' • , , 147 



Vlll 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

XV. BICHMOND DUEING THE SIEGE . . .159 

XVI. THE LAND BLOCKADE 175 

XVII. I ENTER THE TUBKISH NAVY . . .186 

XVIII. THE WAR WITH RUSSIA . , . . 201 

XIX. THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR . 217 

XX. SPORT IN TURKEY . . . . , 235 

XXI. SPORT AND SOCIETY 253 



EXTRACT FROM THE 'DAILY TELEGRAPH' 277 



SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE. 



CHAPTER I. 

A ROUGH START IN LIFE. 

To ATTEMPT to write and publish sketches of my 
somewhat eventful career is an act that, I fear, en- 
tails the risk of making enemies of some with whom 
I have come in contact. But I have arrived at that 
time of life when, while respecting, as I do, public 
opinion, I have hardened somewhat into indifference 
of censure. I will, however, endeavour to write as 
far as lies in my power (while recording facts) ^ in 
charity with all men.' This can be done in most 
part by omitting the names of ships in which and 
officers under whom I have served. 

I was born, as the novelists say, of respectable 
parents, at Walton-on-the-Wold, in Leicestershire, 
on April 1, 1822. I will pass over my early youth, 



2 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

wticli was, as miglit be expected, from the time of 
my birtli until I was ten years of age, without any 
event that could prove interesting to those who are 
kind enough to peruse these pages. 

At the age of ten I was sent to a well-known 
school at Cheam, in Surrey, the master of which, 
Dr. Mayo, has turned out some very distinguished 
pupils, of whom I was not fated to be one ; for, after 
a year or so of futile attempt on my part to learn 
something, and give promise that I might aspire to 
the woolsack or the premiership, I was pronounced 
hopeless ; and having declared myself anxious to 
emulate the deeds of Nelson, and other celebrated 
sailors, it was decided that I should enter the 
navy, and steps were taken to send me at once 
to sea. 

A young cousin of mine who had been advanced 
to the rank of captain, more through the influence 
of his high connections than from any merit of his 
own, condescended to give me a nomination in a 
ship which he had just commissioned, and thus I 
was launched like a young bear, ^ having all his 
sorrows to come,' into Her Majesty's navy as a naval 
cadet. I shall never forget the pride with which 1 
donned my first uniform, little thinking what I 
should have to go through. My only consolation 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 3 

while recounting facts that will make many parents 
shudder at the thought of what their children (for 
they are little more when they join the service) 
were liable to suffer, is, that things are now totally 
altered, and that under the present regime every 
officer, whatever his rank, is treated like a gentle- 
man, or he, or his friends, can know ' the reason 

why/ 

I am writing of a period some fifteen or twenty 
years after Marryat had astonished the world by his 
thrilling descriptions of a naval officer's life and its 
accompanying troubles. At the time of which I write 
people flattered themselves that the sufferings which 
' Midshipman Easy ' and ' The Naval Officer ' under- 
went while serving the Crown were tales of the past. 
I will show by what I am about very briefly to relate 
that such was very far from being the case. 

Everything being prepared, and good-bye being 
said to my friends, who seemed rather glad to be rid 
of me, I was allowed to travel from London on the 
box of a carriage which contained the great man who 
had given me the nomination (captains of men-of-war 
were very great men in those days), and after a long 
weary journey we arrived at the port where H.M.S. 

was lying ready for sea. On the same night 

of our arrival the sailing orers came from the 



4 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Admiralty ; we were to go to sea the next day, our 
destination being Soutti America. 

Being a very insignificant individual, I was put 
into a waterman's boat with, my chest and bed, and 
was sent on board. On reporting myself, I was told 
by the commanding officer not to bother him, but to 
go to my mess, where I should be taken care of. On 
descending a ladder to the lower deck, I looked about 
for the mess, or midshipmen's berth, as it was then 
called. In one corner of this deck was a dirty little 
hole about ten feet long and six feet wide, five feet 
high. It was lighted by two or three dips, otherwise 
tallow candles, of the commonest description — behold 
the mess ! 

In this were seated six or seven officers and 
gentlemen, some twenty-five to thirty years of age, 
called mates, meaning what are now called sub-lieu- 
tenants. They were drinking rum and water and 
eating mouldy biscuits ; all were in their shirtsleeves, 
and really, considering the circumstances, seemed to be 
enjoying themselves exceedingly. 

On my appearance it was evident that I was 
looked upon as an interloper, for whom, small as I 
was, room must be found. I was received with a 
chorus of exclamations, such as, 'What the deuce 
does the little fellow want here ? ' * Surely there are 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 5 

enougli of us crammed into this beastly little hole ! ' 
* Oh, I suppose he is some protege of the captain's/ 
&c. &c. 

At last one, more kindly disposed than the rest, 
addressed me : ' Sorry there is no more room in here, 
youngster ; ' and calling a dirty-looking fellow, also 
in his shirtsleeves, said, ' Steward, give this young 
gentleman some tea and bread and butter, and get 
him a hammock to sleep in/ So I had to be con- 
tented to sit on a chest outside the midshipmen's 
berth, eat my tea and bread and butter, and turn 
into a hammock for the first time in my life, which 
means 'turned out' — the usual procedure being to 
tumble out several times before getting accustomed 
to this, to me, novel bedstead. However, once accus- 
tomed to the thing, it is easy enough, and many 
indeed have been the comfortable nights I have slept 
in a hammock, such a sleep as many an occupant of 
a luxurious four-poster might envy. At early dawn a 
noise all around me disturbed my slumbers : this was 
caused by all hands — officers and men — being called 
up to receive the captain, who was coming along- 
side to assume his command by reading his official 
appointment. 

I shall never forget his first words. He was a 
handsome young man, with fine features, darkened, 



6 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

however, by a deep scov/1. As he stepped over the 
side he greeted us by saying to the first lieutenant in 
a loud voice, * Put all my boat's crew in irons for 
neglect of duty/ It seems that one of them kept 
him waiting for a couple of minutes when he came 
down to embark. After giving this order our captain 
honoured the oflScers who received him with a haughty 
bow, read aloud his commission, and retired to his 
cabin, having ordered the anchor to be weighed in 
two hours. 

Accordingly at eight o'clock we stood out to sea, 
the weather being fine and wind favourable. At 
eleven all hands were called to attend the punish- 
ment of the captain's boat's crew. I cannot de- 
scribe the horror with which I witnessed six fine 
sailor-like looking fellows torn by the frightful cat, 
for having kept this officer waiting a few minutes 
on the pier. Nor will I dwell on this illegal sicken- 
ing proceeding, as L do not write to create a sen- 
sation, and, thank goodness ! such things cannot be 
done now. 

I had not much time for reflection, for my turn 
came next. I believe I cried or got into somebody's 
way, or did something to vex the tyrant ; all I know 
is that I heard myself addressed as 'You young 
scoundrel,' and ordered to go to the ' mast-head.* 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 7 

Go to tlie mast-head indeed ! witli a fresliening wind, 
under whose influence the ship was beginning to heel 
over, and an increasing sea that made her jump about 
like an acrobat. I had not got my sea legs, and this 
feat seemed an utter impossibility to me. I looked 
with horror up aloft ; then came over me the remem- 
brance of Marryat's story of the lad who refused to 
go to the mast-head, and who was hoisted up by 
the signal halyards. While thinking of this, an- 
other ' Well, sir, why don't you obey orders ? ' started 
me into the lower rigging, which I began with the 
greatest difficulty to climb, expecting at every step to 
go headlong overboard. 

A good-natured sailor, seeing the fix I was in, 
gave me a helping hand, and up I crawled as far as the 
maintop. This, I must explain to my non-nautical 
reader, is not the mast-head, but a comparatively 
comfortable half-way resting-place, from whence one 
can look about feeling somewhat secure. 

On looking down to the deck my heart bled to 
see the poor sailor who had helped me undergoing 
punishment for his kind act. I heard myself at 
the same time ordered ' to go higher,' and a little 
higher I did go. Then I stopped, frightened to 
death, and almost senseless ; terror, however, seemed 
to give me presence of mind to cling on, and there 



8 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

I remained till some hours afterwards ; then I was 
called down. On reaching the deck I fainted, and 
knew no more till I awoke after some time in my 
hammock. 

NoWj I ask anyone, even a martinet at heart, 
whether such treatment of a boy, not thirteen years 
of age, putting his life into the greatest danger, 
taking this first step towards breaking his spirit, 
and in all probability making him, as most likely 
had been done to the poor men I had seen flogged 
that morning, into a hardened mutinous savage, was 
not disgraceful ? 

Moreover, it was as close akin to murder as it 
could be, for I don't know how it was I didn't fall 
overboard, and then nothing could have saved my 
life. However, as I didn't fall, I was not drowned, 
and the effect on me was curious enough. For all 
I had seen and suffered on that the opening day 
of my sea-life made me think for the first time — 
and I have never ceased thinking (half a century 
has passed since then) — how to oppose tyranny in 
every shape. Indeed, I have always done so to 
such an extent as to have been frequently called 
by my superiors ^a troublesome character,' 'a sea 
lawyer,' &c. 

Perhaps in this way I have been able to effect 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 9 

sometliing, however small, towards tlie entire change 
that has taken place in the treatment of those hold- 
ing subordinate positions in the navy — and that 
something has had its use, for the tyrant's hand is 
by force stayed now, ^ for once and for all.' 

With this little I am satisfied. 

Now let us briefly look into the question, ^ Why 
are men tyrants when they have it in their power to 
he so?* 

Unfortunately, as a rule, it appears to come 
natural to them ! What caused the Indian Mutiny ? 
Let Indian ofiicers and those employed in the Indian 
civil service answer that question. 

However, I have only to do with naval oflScers. 
My experience tells me that a man clothed with 
brief but supreme authority, such as the command of 
a man-of-war, in those days when for months and 
months he was away from all control of his superiors 
and out of reach of public censure, is more frequently 
apt to listen to the promptings of the devil, which 
more or less attack every man, especially when he is 
alone. 

Away from the softening influence of society 
and the wholesome fear of restraint, for a time at 
least the voice of his better angel is silenced. Per- 
haps also the necessarily solitary position of a 



lo SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

commander of a man-of-war, his long, lonely hours, 
the utter change from the jovial life he led previous 
to being afloat, ta say nothing of his liver getting 
occasionally out of order, may all tend to make him 
irritable and despotic. 

I have seen a captain order his steward to be 
flogged, almost to death, because his pea-soup was 
not hot. I have seen an officer from twenty to 
twenty-five years of age made to stand between two 
guns with a sentry over him for hours, because he 
had neglected to see and salute the tyrant who had 
come on deck in the dark. And as a proof, though 
it seems scarcely credible, of what such men can do 
when unchecked by fear of consequences, I will cite 
the following : — 

On one occasion the captain of whom I have 
been writing invited a friend to breakfast with him, 
and there beings I suppose, a slight monotony in 
the conversation, he asked his guest whether he 
would like, by way of diversion, to see a man flogged. 
The amusement was accepted, and a man was 
flogged. 

It was about the time I write of that the tyranny 
practised on board her Majesty's ships was slowly 
but surely dawning upon the public, and a general 
outcry against injustice began. 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE ii 

This was shown in a very significant manner 
by the following fact : — 

A post-captain of high rank and powerful con- 
nections dared, in contradiction to naval law, to flog 
a midshipman. This young officer's father, happen- 
ing to be a somewhat influential man, made a stir 
about the affair. The honourable captain was tried 
by court-martial and severely reprimanded. 

However, I will cut short these perhaps uninte- 
resting details, merely stating that for three years I 
suffered most shameful treatment. My last interview 
with my amiable cousin is worth relating. The ship 
was paid off, and the captain, on going to the hotel 
at Portsmouth, sent for me and offered me a seat on 
his carriage to London. Full of disgust and horror 
at the very sight of him, I replied that I would 
rather ' crawl home on my hands and knees than 
go in his carriage,' and so ended our acquaintance, 
for I never saw him again. 

It may be asked how, like many others, I tided 
over all the ill-usage and the many trials endured 
during three years. The fact is, I had become during 
that period of ill-treatment so utterly hardened to it 
that I seemed to feel quite indifferent and didn't care 
a rap. But wasn't I glad to be free ! 

I had learnt many a lesson of use to me in after 



12 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

life, the most important of all being to sympathise 
with other people's miseries, and to make allowance 
for the faults and shortcomings of humanity. 

On the other hand, experience is a severe task- 
master, and it taught me to be somewhat insub- 
ordinate in my notions. I fear I must confess that 
this spirit of insubordination has never left me. 

On my arrival at home my relations failed to 
see in me an ill-used lad (I was only sixteen), and 
seemed inclined to disbelieve my yarns ; but this did 
not alter the facts, nor can I ever forget what I went 
through during that * reign of terror,' as it might 
well be called. 

People may wonder how was it in the da-ys of 
Benbow and his contemporaries no complaints were 
made. To this I answer, first, that the men of 
those days, knowing the utter hopelessness of com- 
plaining, preferred to ^ grin and bear ; ' secondly, that 
neither officers nor men were supposed to possess 
such a thing as feeling, when they had once put 
their foot on board a man-of-war. Then there were 
the almost interminable sea voyages under sail, dur- 
ing which unspeakable tyrannies could be practised, 
unheard of beyond the ship, and unpunished. It 
must be remembered that there were no telegraphs, 
no newspaper correspondents, no questioning public, 



A ROUGH START IN LIFE 13 

so that tlie evil side of human nature (so often 
shown in the very young in their cruelty to animals) 
had its swing, fearless of retribution. 

Let us leave this painful subject, with the con- 
soling thought that we shall never see the like 
again. 



14 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 



CHAPTER II. 

PERILS BY SEA AND LAND. 

After enjoying a few weeks at home, I was ap- 
pointed to tlie Naval Brigade on service in Spain, 
acting with tlie English army, who were, there by 
way of assisting Queen Christina against Don Carlos. 

The army was a curious collection of regular 
troops and volunteer soldiers, the latter what would 
be called ' Bashi-Bazouks.' The naval part of the 
expedition consisted of 1,200 Royal Marines, and a 
brigade of sailors under the orders of Lord John 
Hay. The army (barring the regulars, who were 
few in numbers) was composed of about 15,000 of 
the greatest rabble I ever saw, commanded by Sir 
De Lacy Evans. 

For fear any objection or misapprehension be 
applied to the word ' rabble,' I must at once state 
that these volunteers, though in appearance so motley 
and undisciplined, fought splendidly, and in that 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 15 

respect did all honour to their country and the cause 
they were fighting for. 

Very soon after we had disembarked I received 
what is usually called my ' baptism of fire/ that is to 
say, I witnessed Hhe first shot fired in anger.' The 
Carlists were pressing hard on the Queen's forces, 
who were returning towards the sea; it was of 
the gi'eatest importance to hold certain heights that 
defended San Sebastian and the important port of 
Passagis. 

The gallant marines (as usual to the front) were 
protecting the hill on which Lord John was standing ; 
the fire was hot and furious. I candidly admit I was 
in mortal fear, and when a shell dropped right in 
the middle of us, and was, I thought, going to burst 
(as it did), I fell down on my face. Lord John, who 
was close to me, and looking as cool • as a cucumber, 
gave me a severe kick, saying, ^ Get up, you cowardly 
young rascal ; are you not ashamed of yourself? ' 

I did get up and was ashamed of myself. From 
that moment to this I have never been hard upon 
those who flinched at the first fire they were under. 
My pride helped me out of the difficulty, and I 
flinched no more. For an hour or so the battle raged 
furiously. 

By degrees all fear left me ; I felt only excitement 



i6 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

and anger, and when we (a lot I liad to do with 
it !) drove the enemy back in the utmost confusion, 
wasn't I proud ! 

When all was over Lord John called me, and 
after apologising in the most courteous manner for 
the kick, he gave me his hand (poor fellow ! he had 
already lost one arm while fighting for his country), 
and said : * Don't be discouraged, youngster ; you are 
by no means the first who has shown alarm on being 
for the first time under fire/ So I was happy. 

It is not my intention to give in detail the events 
that I witnessed during that disastrous civil war in 
Spain ; suffice it that after much hard fighting the 
Carlists were driven back into their mountains so much 
discouraged that they eventually renounced a hopeless 
cause ; and at all events for a long period order was 
restored in Spain. 

After serving under Lord John Hay for six or 
seven months, I was appointed to another ship, 
which was ordered to my old station, South America. 

The captain of my new ship was in every sense a 
gentleman, and although a strict disciplinarian, was 
just and kind-hearted. From the captain downwards 
every officer was the same in thought and deed, so 
we were all as happy as sand-boys. It was then that 
I began to realise a fact of which before I had only 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 17 

a notion — namely, that discipline can be maintained 
without undue severity, to say nothing of cruelty, and 
that service in the navy could be made a pleasure as 
well as a duty to one's country. 

After visiting Rio de Janeiro, we were sent to the 
River Plate ; there we remained nearly a year, during 
which time several adventures which I will relate 
occurred, both concerning my duties and my amuse- 
ments. 

I must tell my readers that from earliest boyhood 
I had a passionate love for shooting ; and, through 
the kindness of my commanding officer while at 
Monte Video, I was allowed constantly to indulge in 
sport. 

On one occasion my captain, who was a keen 
sportsman, took me with him out shooting. We 
had a famous day's sport, filled our game bags with 
partridges, ducks, and snipe, and were returning 
home on horseback when a solitary horseman, a nasty- 
looking fellow, armed to the teeth, rode up to us. As 
I knew a little Spanish we began to talk about 
shooting, &c. &c. ; then he asked me to shoot a bird 
for him (the reason why he did this will be seen 
immediately). I didn't like the cut of his jib, so 
rather snubbed him. However, he continued to ride 
on with us, to within half a mile of where our boat 
2 



i8 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

was waiting to take us on board. I must explain 
our relative positions as we rode along. The captain 
was on my left, I next to him, and the man was on 
my right, riding very near to me. All of a sudden 
he exclaimed in Spanish, ' Now is the time or never,' 
threw his right leg over the pommel of his saddle, 
slipped on to the ground, drew his knife, dashed at 
me, and after snatching my gun from my hand, 
stuck his knife (as he thought) into me. Then he 
rushed towards the captain, pulling the trigger of 
my gun, and pointing straight at the latter's head ; 
the gun was not loaded, having only the old percussion 
caps on. (Now I saw why he wanted me to fire, so 
that he might know whether my gun was loaded; 
but the old caps evidently deceived him.) 

All this was the work of a very few seconds. Now 
what was my chief doing ? Seeing a row going on, 
he was dismounting ; in fact, was half-way off his 
horse, only one foot in the stirrup, when the man 
made the rush at him. Finding me stuck to my 
saddle (for the ruffian's knife had gone through my 
coat and pinned me), and the fellow snapping my 
gun, which was pointed at him, he as coolly as possible 
put his gun over his horse's shoulder and shot the 
would-be murderer dead on the spot. Then turning 
to me he said quite calmly, * I call you to witness 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 19 

that that man intended to murder me.' How differ- 
ently all would have ended had my gun been loaded ! 
The villain would have shot my chief, taken both 
guns, and galloped off, leaving me ignominiously 
stuck to my saddle. 

The audacity of this- one man attacking us two 
armed sportsmen showed the immense confidence 
these prairie people feel in themselves, especially in 
their superior horsemanship. However, the fellow 
caught a Tartar on this occasion. 

As for me, the knife had gone, as I said, through 
my loose shooting jacket just below the waist, through 
the upper part of my trousers, and so into the saddle, 
without even touching my skin. I have kept the 
knife in memory of my lucky escape. 

While laying at Monte Video there was on each 
side of us a French man-of-war, the officers of which 
were very amiably inclined, and many were the din- 
ners and parties exchanged between us. 

In those days the interchange of our respective 
languages was very limited on both sides, so much so, 
that our frantic efforts to understand each other were 
a constant source of amusement. A French midship- 
man and myself, however, considered ourselves equal 
to the occasion, and professed linguists ; so on the 
principle that in the ' land of the blind the one- 



20 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

eyed man is king/ we were the swells of the fes- 
tivities. 

I remember on one occasion, when the birthday 
of Louis Philippe was to be celebrated, my French 
midshipman friend came on board officially and said, 
' Sir, the first of the month is the feast of the King ; 
you must fire the gun.' ^ All right,' said we. Accord- 
ingly, we loaded our guns in the morning, pre- 
paratory to saluting at noon. It was raining heavily 
all the forenoon, so we had not removed what is 
called the tompions (to my unprofessional reader I 
may say that the tompion is a very large piece of 
wood made to fit into the muzzle, for the purpose of 
preventing wet from penetrating). To this tompion 
is, or used to be, attached a large piece of wadding, 
what for I never rightly understood. 

Now it seems that those whose duty it was to 
attend to it had neglected to take these things out 
of the guns. 

On the first gun being fired from the French ship 
we began our salute. The French ships were close 
alongside of us, one on either side. The gunner who 
fires stands with the hand-glass to mark the time 
between each discharge. On this occasion he began 
his orders thus : ' Fire, port ; ' then suddenly recol- 
lecting that the tompions were not removed he added, 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 21 

* Tompions are in, sir/ No one moved. The gunner 
could not leave his work of marking time. Again he 
gave the order, ' Fire, starboard,' repeating, ' Tompions 
are in, sir,' and so on till half the broadside had been 
fired before the tompions had been taken out. It 
is difficult to describe the consternation on board 
the French vessels, whose decks were crowded with 
strangers (French merchants, &c.), invited from the 
shore to do honour to their King's fete. These horrid 
tompions and their adjuncts went flying on to their 
decks, from which every one scampered in confusion. 
It was lucky our guns did not burst. 

This was a most awkward dilemma for all of 
us. I was sent on board to apologise. The French 
captain, with the courtesy of his nation, took the mis- 
hap most good-humouredly, begging me to return the 
tompions to my captain, as they had no occasion 
for them. So no bad feeling was created, though 
shortly after this contretemps an affair of so serious 
a nature took place, that a certain coldness crept in 
between ourselves and our ci-devant friends. 

It seems that there had been of late several 
desertions from the French vessels lying at Monte 
Video, great inducements of very high wages being 
offered by the revolutionary party in Buenos Ayres 
for men to serve them. The French commander 



22 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

therefore determined to search, all vessels leaving 
Monte Video for other ports in the River Plate — 
a somewhat arbitrary proceeding, and one certain 
to lead to misunderstanding sooner or later. 

On the occasion I refer to, a vessel which, though 
not under the English flag, had in some way or 
other obtained English protection, was leaving the 
port ; so we sent an officer and a party of armed 
men to prevent her being interfered with. I was 
of the party, which was commanded by our second 
lieutenant. Our doing this gave great offence to the 
French commander, who shortly after we had gone 
on board also sent a party of armed men, with posi- 
tive orders to search the vessel at all risks. On our 
part we were ordered not to allow the vessel to be 
searched or interfered with. The French officer, a 
fine young fellow, came on board with his men and re- 
peated his orders to Lieutenant C . The vessel, 

I may mention, was a schooner of perhaps a couple 
of hundred tons, about 130 feet long. We had 
taken possession of the after-part of the deck, the 
French crew established themselves on the forepart. 

Never was there a more awkward position. The 
men on both sides loaded and cocked their muskets. 
The English and French officers stood close to one 
another. The former said, * Sir, you have no business 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 23 

here, this vessel is under English protection. I give 
you five minutes to leave or take the consequences/ 
The other replied, ^ Sir, I am ordered to search the 
vessel, and search her I will/ They both seemed to, 
and I am sure did, mean business ; for myself, I got 
close to my lieutenant and cocked a pistol, intending 
to shoot the French officer at the least show of 
fighting. Nevertheless, I thought it a shockingly 
cruel and inhuman thing to begin a cold-blooded 
fio-ht under such circumstances. 

However, to obey orders is the duty of every 

man. Lieutenant C looked at his watch ; two 

minutes to spare. The marines were ordered to 
prepare, and I thought at the end of the two minutes 
the deck of the little vessel would have been steeped 
in blood. Just then, in the distance, there appeared 
a boat pulling towards us at full speed; it seems 
that wiaar counsels had prevailed between the 
captains of the two ships : the French were told to 
withdraw and leave the vessel in our hands. 

I was much amused at the cordial way in which 
the two lieutenants shook hands on receiving this 
order. There would indeed have been a fearful 
story to tell had it not arrived in time ; for I never 
saw determination written so strongly on men's 
countenances as on those of both parties, so nearly 



24 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

engaged in wliat must Iiave proved a most bloody 
fight. 

After this incident cordial relations were never 
re-established between ourselves and our French 
friends ; fortunately, shortly afterwards we sailed for 
Buenos Ayres. 

Buenos Ayres, that paradise of pretty women, 
good cheer, and all that is nice to the sailor who is 
always ready for a lark ! We at once went in for 
enjoying ourselves to our heart's content ; we began, 
every one of us, by falling deeply in love before we 
had been there forty-eight hours— I say every one, 
because such is a fact. 

My respectable captain, who had been for many 
years living as a confirmed bachelor with his only rela- 
tive, an old spinster sister, with whom he chummed, 
and I fancy had hardly been known to speak to 
another woman, was suddenly perceived walking 
about the street with a large bouquet in his hand, 
his hair well oiled, his coat (generally so loose and 
comfortable-looking) buttoned tight to show off his 
figure ; and then he took to sporting beautiful kid 
gloves, and even to dancing. He could not be per- 
suaded to go on board at any cost, while he had never 
left his ship before, except for an occasional day's 
shooting. In short, he had fallen hopelessly in 



PERILS BY SEA AND LAND 25 

love with a buxom Spanish lady with lustrous eyes 
as black as her hair, the widow of a murdered 
governor of the town. 

Our first and second lieutenants followed suit ; 
both were furiously in love ; and, as I said, every 
one, even a married man, one of my messmates, fell 
down and worshipped the lovely (and lovely they 
were, and no mistake) Spanish girls of Buenos Ayres, 
whose type of beauty is that which only the blue 
blood of Spain can boast of. Now, reader, don't be 
shocked, I fell in love myself, and my love affair 
proved of a more serious nature, at least in its 
results, than that of the others, because, while the 
daughter (she was sixteen, and I seventeen) re- 
sponded to my affection, her mother, a handsome 
woman of forty, chose to fall in love with me herself. 

This was rather a disagreeable predicament, for 
I didn't, of course, return the mother's affection a 
bit, while I was certainly dreadfully spoony on the 
daughter. 

To make a long story short, the girl and I, like 
two fools as we were, decided to run away together, 
and run away we did. I should have been married 
if the mother hadn't run after us. She didn't object 
to our being married, but, in the meantime, she 
remained with us, and she managed to make the 



26 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

country home we had escaped to, with the inten- 
tion of settling down there, so unbearable, that, 
luckily for me as regards my future, I contrived to 
get away, and went as fast as I could on board my 
ship for refuge, never landing again during our stay 
at Buenos Ayres. 

Fortunately, shortly afterwards we were ordered 
away, and so ended my first love affair. 

I shall never forget the melancholy, woebegone 
faces of my captain and brother officers on our re- 
assembling on board. It was really most ludicrous. 
However, a sea voyage which included several sharp 
gales of wind soon erased all sad memories ; things 
gradually * brightened,' and ere many weeks had 

passed all on board H.M.S. resumed their usual 

appearance. 



CHAPTER in. 

A TRAGICAL AFFAIR. 

Whilst I was at Buenos Ayres I had the good 
luck to visit the independent province of Paraguay, 
which my readers must have heard spoken of, some- 
times with admiration, sometimes with sneers, as the 
hot-bed of Jesuitism. Those who sneer say that the 
Jesuit fathers who left Spain under Martin Garcia 
formed this colony in the River Plate entirely in 
accordance with the principles their egotism and love 
of power dictated. It may be so ; it is possible that 
the Jesuits were wrong in the conclusions they came to 
as regards the governing or guiding of human nature ; 
all I can say is,thattheperfect order reigning through- 
out the colony they had formed, the respect for the 
clergy, the cheerful obedience to laws, the industry 
and peaceful happiness one saw at every step, made 
an impression on me I have never forgotten ; and 
when I compare it with the discord, the crime, and 



28 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

the hatred of all authority which is now prevailing, 
alas ! in most civilised countries, I look back to what 
I saw in Paraguay with a sigh of regret that such 
things are of the past. It was beautiful to see the 
respect paid to the Church (the acknowledged ruler of 
the place), the cleanliness and comfort of the farms 
and villages, the good-will and order that prevailed 
amongst the natives. It was most interesting to visit 
the schools, where only so much learning was intro- 
duced as was considered necessary for the minds of 
the industrious population, without rendering them 
troublesome to the colony or to themselves. Though 
the inhabitants were mostly of the fiery and un- 
governable Spanish race, who had mixed with the 
wild aborigines, it is remarkable that they remained 
quiet and submissive. 

To prevent pernicious influences reaching this 
* happy valley,' the strictest regulations were main- 
tained as regards strangers visiting the colony. 

The E-iver Plate, which, coming down from the 
Andes through hundreds of miles of rich countiy, 
flows through Paraguay, was unavailable to com- 
merce owing to this law of exclusiveness, which pre- 
vented even the water which washed the shores being 
utilised. However, about the time I speak of the 
English government had determined, in the general 



A BRAVE DEED 29 

interests of trade, to oppose this monopolyj and to 
open a way of communication up the river by force if 
necessary. The Paraguayans refused to accept the 
propositions made by the English, and prepared to 
fight for their so-called rights. They threw a for- 
midable barrier across the stream, and made a most 
gallant resistance. It was on this occasion that 
Captain (now Admiral) H performed the cour- 
ageous action which covered him with renown for 
the rest of his life. The enemy had, amongst other 
defences, placed a heavy iron chain across the river. 
This chain it was absolutely necessary to remove, and 
the gallant officer I refer to, who commanded the 
attack squadron, set a splendid example to us all by 
dashing forward and cutting with a cold chisel the 
links of this chain. The whole time he was thus at 
work he was exposed to a tremendous fire, having 
two men killed and two wounded out of the six he 
took with him. This deed, now almost forgotten by 
the public, can never be effaced from the memory of 
those who saw it done. That the fight was a severe 
one is evident from the fact that the vessel I belonged 
to had 107 shots in her hull, and thirty-five out of 
seventy men killed and wounded. 

It was after we had thus forced ourselves into 
intercourse with the Paraguayans that I saw an 



30 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

instance of want of tact wHch struck me as most 
remarkable. Fighting being over, diplomacy stepped 
in, and a man of somewkat kigk rank in tkat service 
was sent to make friendly overtures to tke authorities. 
Can it be believed (I do not say it as a sneer against 
diplomacy, for tkis blunder was really unique) , this 
big man bad scarcely finished the pipe of peace which 
he smoked with the authorities, when he proposed to 
introduce vaccination and tracts among the people ? 
Badly as the poor fellows felt the licking they had 
received, and much as they feared another should they 
give trouble to the invaders, they so resented our 
representative's meddling that he found it better to 
beat a hasty retreat, and to send a wiser man in his 
stead. But their fate was sealed, and from the 
moment the stranger put his foot into this interest- 
ing country dates its entire change. The system 
that the Jesuits established was quickly done away 
with. Paraguay is now a part of the Argentine 
Kepublic, it is generally at war with some of its 
neighbours, and its inhabitants are poor, disorderly, 
and wretched. 

As I shall have, while telling the story of my 
life, to relate m.ore serious events, I will, after recount- 
ing one more yarn, not weary my readers with the 
little uninteresting details of my youthful adventures, 



A TRAGICAL AFFAIR 31 

but pass over the next three years or so, at which 
time, after having returned to England, I was 
appointed to another ship going to South America, 
for the purpose of putting down the slave trade in 
the Brazils. The adventure to which I have referred 
was one that made a deep impression on my mind, 
as being of a most tragic nature. 

While at Rio de Janeiro we were in the habit of 
visiting among the people, attending dances, &c. I 
always remarked that the pretty young Brazilian 
girls liked dancing with the fresh young English 
sailors better than with their mud-coloured com- 
panions of the male sex, the inhabitants of the country. 

At the time I write of the English were not liked 
by the Brazilians, partly on account of the raid we 
were then making on the slave trade, partly through 
the usual jealousy always felt by the ignorant towards 
the enlightened. So with the men we were seldom 
or ever on good terms, but with the girls somehow 
sailors always contrive to be friends. 

It was at one of the dances I have spoken of 
that the scene I am about to describe took place. 

Among the pretty girls who attended the ball 
was one prettier perhaps than any of her companions ; 
indeed, she was called the belle of Rio Janeiro. I 
will not attempt to portray her, but I must own she 



32 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

was far too bewitcliing for the peace of heart of her 
many admirers, and unhappily she was an unmitigated 
flirt in every sense of the word. 

Now there was a young Brazilian nobleman who 
had, as he thought, been making very successful 
progress towards winning this girl's heart — if she had 
a heart. All was progressing smoothly enough till 
these hapless English sailors arrived. 

Then, perhaps with the object of making her lover 
jealous (a very common though dangerous game), 
Mademoiselle pretended (for I presume it was pre- 
tence) to be immensely smitten with one of them — a 
handsome young midshipman whom we will call A. 

At the ball where the incident I refer to 
occurred, she danced once with him, twice with him, 
and was about to start with him a third time, when, 
to the astonishment of the lookers-on, of whom I 
formed part, the young Brazilian rushed into the 
middle of the room where the couple were standing, 
walked close up to them and spat in A.'s face. 

Before the aggressor could look round him, he 
found himself sprawling on the floor, knocked by the 
angry Briton into what is commonly called ' a cocked 
hat.' Not a word was spoken. A. wiped his face, 
led his partner to a seat and came straight to me, 
putting his arm in mine and leading me into the 



A TRAGICAL AFFAIR 33 

verandah. The Brazilian picked himself up and 
came also into the verandah ; in less time than I can 
write it a hostile meeting was settled, pistols were 
procured, and we (I say we, because I had under- 
taken to act as A.'s friend, and the Brazilian had 
also engaged a friend) sauntered into the garden as 
if for a stroll. 

It was a most lovely moonlight night, such a 
night as can only be seen in the tropics. 

I should mention that the chief actors in the 
coming conflict had neither of them seen twenty 
years, and we their seconds were considerably under 
that age. The aggressor, whose jealous fury had 
driven him almost to madness when he committed 
an outrageous affront on a stranger, was a tall, hand- 
some, dark-complexioned young fellow. A. was also 
very good-looking, with a baby complexion, blue 
eyes and light curly hair, a very type of the Saxon 
race. 

They both looked determined and calm. After 
proceeding a short distance we found a convenient 
spot in a lovely glade. It was almost as clear as 
day, so bright was the moonlight. The distance 
was measured (fourteen paces), the pistols carefully 
loaded. Before handing them to the principals we 
made an effort at arrangement, an effort too con- 



34 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

temptuously received to be insisted upon, and we saw 
that any attempt at reconciliation would be of no 
avail without tlie exchange of shots ; so, handing to 
each his weapon, we retired a short distance to give 
the signal for firing, which was to be done by my 
dropping a pocket-handkerchief. It was an anxious 
moment even for us, who were only lookers-on. I 
gave the words, one, two, three, and dropped the 
handkerchief. 

The pistols went off simultaneously. To my horror 
I §aw the young Brazilian spin round and drop to 
the ground, his face downwards ; we rushed up to 
him and found that the bullet from A.'s pistol had 
gone through his brain. He was stone dead. 

Then the solemnity of the whole affair dawned 
on us, but there was no time for thought. Some- 
thing must be done at once, for revenge quick 
and fearful was sure to follow such a deed like 
lightning. 

We determined to hurry A, off to his ship, and 
I begged the young Brazilian to go into the house 
and break the sad news. The poor fellow, though 
fearfully cut up, behaved like a gentleman, walking 
slowly away so as to give us time to escape. As we 
passed the scene of gaiety the sounds of music and 
dancing were going on, just as when we left it. How 



A TRAGICAL AFFAIR 35 

little tlie jovial throng dreamt of the tragedy that 
had just been enacted within a few yards of them ; 
of the young life cut down on its threshold ! 

We got on board all right, but such a terrible row 
was made about the affair that the ship to which A. 
belonged had to go to sea the next day, and did not 
appear again at Rio de Janeiro. 

I, though not belonging to that vessel, was not 
allowed to land for many months. 



36 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 



CHAPTER IV. 

RIO DE JANEIRO. 

One word about Rio de Janeiro. Rio, as it is 
generally called, is perhaps one of the most lovely 
spots in the world. The beautiful natural bay and 
harbour are unequalled throughout the whole uni- 
verse. Still, like the Bosphorus, the finest effect is 
made by Rio de Janeiro when looked at from the 
water. In the days of which I write yellow fever 
was unknown ; now that fearful disease kills its 
thousands, aye, tens of thousands, yearly. The 
climate, though hot at times, is very good ; in the 
summer the mornings are hot to a frying heat, but 
the sea breeze comes in regularly as clockwork, and 
when it blows everything is cool and nice. Life is 
indeed a lazy existence ; there is no outdoor amuse- 
ment of any kind to be had in the neighbourhood. 
As to shooting, there are only a few snipe to be 
found here and there, and while looking for these 
you must beware of snakes and other venomous 



RIO DE JANEIRO 37 

reptiles, whicli abound both in tlie country and in 
town. I remember a terrible fright a large picnic 
party, at which I assisted, was thrown into while 
lunching in the garden of a villa, almost in the town 
of Kio, by a lady jumping up from her seat with 
a deadly whip-snake hanging on her dress. I once 
myself sat on an adder who put his fangs through 
the woollen stuff of my inexpressibles and could not 
escape. The same thing happened with the lady's 
dress ; in that case also we caught the snake, as it 
could not disentangle its fangs. 

In the country near Rio there are great snakes 
called the anaconda, a sort of boa-constrictor on a 
large scale. Once, while walking in the woods with 
some friends, we found a little Indian boy dead on 
the ground, one of these big snakes lying within a 
foot or so of him, also dead ; the snake had a poisoned 
arrow in his brain, which evidently had been shot at 
him by the poor little boy, whose blow-pipe was 
lying by his side. The snake must have struck the 
boy before it died, as we found a wound on the 
boy's neck. This reptile measured twenty-two feet 
in length. 

By the way, a well-known author, Mrs. B , 

tells a marvellous story about these snakes. She says 
that they always go in pairs, have great affection for 



38 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

each other, and are prepared on all occasions to resent 
aSronts offered to either of them. She narrates that a 
peasant once killed a big anaconda, and that the other, 
or chum snake, followed the man several miles to the 
house where he had taken the dead one, got in by 
the window, and crushed the destroyer of his friend 
to death. I expect that some salt is necessary to 
swallow this tale, but such is the statement Mrs. 

B makes. 

The most lovely birds and butterflies are found 
near Rio, and the finest collections in the world 
are made there. The white people are Portuguese 
by origin — not a nice lot to my fancy, though 
the ladies are as usual always nice, especially when 
young; they get old Very soon through eating sweets 
and not taking exercise. There is very little poverty 
except among the free blacks, who are lazy and idle 
and somewhat vicious. I always have believed that 
the black man is an inferior animal — in fact, that the 
dark races are meant to be drawers of water and 
hewers of wood. I do not deny that they have souls 
to be saved, but I believe that their role in this 
world is to attend on the white man. The black is, and 
for years has been, educated on perfect equality with 
the white man, and has had every chance of improving 
himself — with what result ? You could almost count 



RIO DE JANEIRO 39 

on your fingers the names of those who have distin- 
guished themselves in the battle of life. 

Sometimes, while cruising off the coast of Rio 
de Janeiro looking out for slave vessels, we passed 
a very monotonous life. The long and fearfully hot 
mornings before the sea breeze sets in, the still longer 
and choking nights with the thermometer at 108°, 
were trying in the extreme to those accustomed to 
the fresh air of northern climates ; but sailors have 
always something of the ' Mark Tapley ' about them 
and are generally jolly under all circumstances, and 
so it was with me. One day, while longing for 
something to do, I discovered that the crew had 
been oidered to paint the ship outside ; as a pastime 
I put on old clothes and joined the painting party. 
Planks were hung round the ship by ropes being 
tied to each end of the plank ; on these the men 
stood to do their work. We had not been employed 
there very long when there was a cry from the deck 
that the ship was surrounded by sharks. It seems 
that the butcher had killed a sheep, whose entrails, 
having been thrown overboard, attracted these fearful 
brutes round the ship in great numbers. As may 
be imagined, this report created a real panic among 
the painters, for I believe we all feared a shark more 
than an enemy armed to the teeth. I at once made 



40 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

a hurried movement to get off my plank. As I did 
so the rope at one end slipped off, and so threw the 
piece of wood, to which I had to hang as on a rope, 
up and down the vessel's side, bringing my feet to 
within a very few inches of the water. On looking 
downwards I saw a great shark in the water, almost 
within snapping distance of my legs. I can swear 
that my hair stood on end with fear ; though I held 
on like grim death, I felt myself going, yes, going, 
little by little right into the beast's jaws. At that 
moment, only just in time, a rope was thrown over my 
head from the deck above me, and I was pulled from 
my fearfully perilous position, more dead than alive. 
Now for revenge on the brutes who would have eaten 
me if they could ! It was a dead calm, the sharks 
were still swimming round the ship waiting for their 
prey. We got a lot of hooks with chains attached 
to them, on w^hich we put baits of raw meat. I 
may as well mention a fact not generally known, 
viz., that a shark must turn on his back before 
opening his capacious mouth sufficiently to feed 
himself; when he turns he means business, and 
woe to him who is within reach of the man-eater's 
jaws. On this occasion what we offered them 
was merely a piece of meat, and most ravenously 
did they rush, turn on their backs, and swallow it. 



RIO DE JANEIRO 41 

only to find that tliey were securely hooked, and 
could not bite through the chains that were fast to 
the hooks — in fact, that it was all up with them. 
Orders had been given by the commanding officer 
that the sharks were not to be pulled on board, 
partly from the dangerous action of their tails and 
jaws even when half dead, partly on account of the 
confusion they make while floundering about the 
decks ; so we hauled them close to the top of the 
water, fired a bullet into their brains and cut them 
loose. We killed thirty that morning in this way, 
some of them eight to ten feet long. 

The most horrid thing I know is to see, as I 
have done on more than one occasion, a man taken 
by a shark. You hear a fearful scream as the poor 
wretch is dragged down, and nothing remains to tell 
the dreadful tale excepting that the water is deeply 
tinged with blood on the spot where the unfortunate 
man disappeared. These ravenous man-eaters scent 
blood from an enormous distance, and their promi- 
nent upper fin, which is generally out of the water 
as they go along at a tremendous pace, may be seen 
at a great distance, and they can swim at the rate of 
a mile a minute. A shark somewhat reminds me 
of the torpedo of the present day, and in my humble 
opinion is much more dangerous. 
3 



42 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

' Once we cauglit a large shark. On opening him 
we found in his inside a watch and chain quite 
perfect. Could it have been that some poor wretch 
had been swallowed and digested, and the watch 
only remained as being indigestible ? 

It is strange to see the contempt with which the 
black man treats a shark, the more especially when 
he has to do with him in shallow water. A negro 
takes a large knife and diving under the shark cuts 
its bowels open. If the water is deep the shark can 
go lower down than the man and so save himself, 
and if the nigger don't take care he will eat him ; 
thus the black man never goes into deep water if he 
can help it, for he is always expecting a shark. 



CHAPTER V. 

SLAVER HUNTING. 

Shortly after the duel at Rio I went to England, 
but to be again immediately appointed to a vessel 
on the Brazilian station. 

It was at the time when philanthropists of Europe 
were crying aloud for the abolition of the African 
slave trade, never taking for a moment into considera- 
tion the fact that the state of the savage African 
black population was infinitely bettered by their 
being conveyed out of the misery and barbarism of 
their own country, introduced to civilization, given 
opportunities of embracing religion, and taught that 
to kill and eat each other was not to be considered 
as the principal pastime among human beings. 

At the period I allude to (from 1841 to 1845) 
the slave trade was carried out on a large scale 
between the coast of Africa and South America ; and 
a most lucrative trade it was, if the poor devils of 



44 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

negroes could be safely conveyed alive from one coast 
to tlie other. I say if, because tbe risk of capture 
was so great that the poor wretches, men, women, 
and children, were packed like herrings in the holds 
of the fast little sailing vessels employed, and to such 
a fearful extent was this packing carried on that, 
even if the vessels were not captured, more than half 
the number of blacks embarked died from suffocation 
or disease before arriving at their destination, yet 
that half was sufficient to pay handsomely those 
engaged in trade. 

On this point I propose giving examples and 
proofs hereafter, merely remarking, en jpassant^ that 
had the negroes been brought over in vessels that 
were not liable to be chased and captured, the owners 
of such vessels would naturally, considering the great 
value of their cargo, have taken precautions against 
overcrowding and disease. Now, let us inquire as 
to the origin of these poor wretched Africans be- 
coming slaves, and of their being sold to the white 
man. It was, briefly speaking, in this wise. On a 
war taking place between two tribes in Africa, a 
thing of daily occurrence, naturally many prisoners 
were made on both sides. Of these prisoners those 
who were not tender enough to be made into ragout 
were taken down to the sea-coast and sold to the 



SLAVER HUNTING 45 

slave-dealers, who had wooden barracks established 
ready for their reception. 

Into these barracks, men, women, and children, 
most of whom were kept in irons to prevent escape, 
were bundled like cattle, there to await embarkation on 
board the vessels that would convey them across the 
sea. 

Now, as the coast was closely watched on the 
African side, to prevent the embarkation of slaves, as 
it was on the Brazilian side, to prevent their being 
landed, the poor wretches were frequently waiting 
for weeks on the seashore undergoing every species 
of torment. 

At last the vessel to carry off a portion of them 
arrived, when they were rushed on board and thrown 
into the hold regardless of sex, like bags of sand, and 
the slaver started on her voyage for the Brazils. 
Perhaps while on her way she was chased by an 
English cruiser, in which case, so it has often been 
known to happen, a part of the living cargo would be 
thrown overboard, trusting that the horror of leaving 
human beings to be drowned would compel the 
officers of the English cruiser to slacken their speed 
while picking the poor wretches up, and thus give 
the slaver a better chance of escape. (This I have 
seen done myself, fortunately unavailingly.) 



46 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

I will now ask the reader to bring Ms thouglits 
back to the coast of Brazil, where a good look-out 
was being kept for such vessels as I have mentioned 
as leaving the African coast with live cargo on 
board bound for the Brazilian waters. Rio de 
Janeiro, the capital of Brazil, was the headquarters 
of the principal slave-owners. It was there that all 
arrangements were made regarding the traffic in 
slaves, the despatch of the vessels in which they 
were to be conveyed, the points on which they were 
to land, &c., and it was at Rio that the slave vessels 
made their rendezvous before and after their voyages. 
It was there also that the spies on whose information 
we acted were to be found, and double-faced scoun- 
drels they were, often giving information which caused 
the capture of a small vessel with few slaves on board, 
while the larger vessel, with twice the number, was 
landing her cargo unmolested. 

As for myself, I was at the time of life when 
enterprise was necessary for my existence, and so 
keenly did I join in the slave-hunting mania that I 
found it dangerous to land in the town of Rio for 
fear of assassination. 

My captain, seeing how enthusiastic I was in the 
cause, which promised prize-money if not renown, 
encouraged me by placing me in a position that, 



SLAVER HUNTING i^j 

as a humble midshipman, I was scarcely entitled to, 
gave me his confidence, and thus made me still more 
zealous to do something, if only to show my gratitude. 

Having picked up all the information possible as 
regarded the movements of the slave vessels, we 
started on a cruise, our minds set particularly on the 
capture of a celebrated craft called the ' Lightning,' 
a vessel renowned for her great success as a slave 
ship, whose captain declared (this made our mission 
still more exciting) that he would show fight, especially 
if attacked by English men-of-war boats when away 
from the protection of their ships. 

I must mention that it was the custom of the 
cruisers on the coast of Brazil to send their boats 
on detached service, they (the boats) going in one 
direction while the vessels they belonged to went in 
another, only communicating every two or three days. 
Proud indeed for me was the moment when, arriving 
near to the spot on the coast where the ' Lightning ' 
was daily expected with her live cargo, I lefb my 
ship in command of three boats, viz., a ten-oared 
cutter and two four-oared whale boats, I had with 
me in all nineteen men, well armed and prepared, 
as I imagined, for every emergency. The night we 
left our ship we anchored late under the shelter of 
a small island, and all hands being tired from a 



48 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

long row in a hot sun, I let my men go to sleep 
during the short tropical darkness. As soon as 
the day was breaking all hands were alert, and we 
saw with delight a beautiful rakish-looking brig, 
crammed with slaves, close to the island behind which 
we had taken shelter, steering for a creek on the 
mainland a short distance from us. I ought to men- 
tion that the island in question was within four miles 
of this creek. We immediately prepared for action, 
and while serving out to each man his store of 
cartridges, I found to my horror that the percussion 
tubes and caps for the boat's gun, the muskets and 
pistols, had been left on board the ship. What was 
to be done ? no use swearing at anybody. However, 
we pulled boldly out from under the shelter of the 
island, thinking to intimidate the slaver into heaving 
to. In this we were grievously mistaken. 

The vessel with her men standing ready at their 
guns seemed to put on a defiant air as she saUed 
majestically past us, and although we managed with 
lucifer matches to fire the boat's gun once or twice, 
she treated us with sublime contempt and went on 
her way into the creek, at the rate of six or seven 
miles an hour. Though difficult to attack the vessel 
in the day time without firearms, I determined if 
possible not to lose altogether this splendid brig. I 



SLAVER HUNTING 49 

waited therefore till after sunset, and then pulled 
silently into the creek with muffled oars. There was 
our friend securely lashed to the rocks. We dashed 
on board with drawn cutlasses, anticipating an 
obstinate resistance. We got possessioD of the deck 
in no time, but on looking round for someone to fight 
with, saw nothing but a small black boy who, having 
been roused up from a sort of dog-kennel in which 
he had been sleeping, first looked astonished and 
then burst out laughing, pointing as he did so to the 
shore. Yes, the shore to which the slaver brig was 
lashed was the spot where seven hundred slaves (or 
nearly that number, for we found three or four half- 
dead negroes in the hold) and the crew had all gone, 
and left us lamenting our bad luck. However, I 
took possession of the vessel as she lay, and though 
threatened day and night by the natives, who kept 
up a constant fire from the neighbouring heights and 
seemed preparing to board us, maintained our hold 
upon the craft until the happy arrival of my ship, 
which, with a few rounds of grape, soon cleared the 
neighbourhood of our assailants. I may mention that, 
in the event of our having been boarded, we had pre- 
pared a warm reception for our enemies in the shape of 
buckets of boiling oil mixed with lime, which would 
have been poured on their devoted heads while in the 



so SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

act of climbing up the side. As they kept, however, 
at a respectful distance, our remedy was not tried. 
The vessel, a splendid brig of 400 tons, was then 
pulled off her rocky bed, and I was sent in charge of 
her to Eio de Janeiro. And now comes the strangest 
part of my adventures on this occasion. 

On the early morning after I had parted company 
with my commanding officer, before the dawn, I ran 
accidentally right into a schooner loaded with slaves, 
also coming from Africa, bound to the same place as 
had been the brig, my prize. 

Without the slightest hesitation, before the shock 
and surprise caused by the collision had given time 
for reflection or resistance, I took possession of this 
vessel, put the crew in irons, and hoisted Enghsh 
colours. There were 460 Africans on board, and 
what a sight it was ! 

The schooner had been eighty-five days at sea. 
They were short of water and provisions ; three dis- 
tinct diseases — namely, small-pox, ophthalmia, and 
diarrhoea in its worst form — had broken out while 
coming across among the poor doomed wretches. 

On opening the hold we saw a mass of arms, 
legs, and bodies all crushed together. Many of the 
bodies to whom these limbs belonged were dead or 
dying. In fact, when we had made some sort of 



SLAVER HUNTING 51 

clearance among tliem we found in that fearful hold 
eleven dead bodies lying among the living freight. 
Water ! water ! was the cry. Many of them as soon 
as free jumped into the sea, partly from the delirious 
state they were in, partly because they had been told 
that, if taken by the English, they would be tortured 
and eaten. The latter I fancy they were accustomed 
to, but the former they had a wholesome dread of. 

Can Mrs. Beecher Stowe beat this ? It is, I can 
assure my readers, a very mild description of what I 
saw on board the first cargo of slaves I made the 
acquaintance of, and by which I was so deeply 
impressed, that I have ever since been sceptical of 
the benefits conferred upon the African race by our 
blockade — at all events, of the means employed to 
abolish slavery. 

The strangest thing amid this ' confusion of 
horrors * was that children were constantly being 
bom. In fact, just after I got on board, an unfor- 
tunate creature was delivered of a child close to 
where I was standing, and jumped into the sea, 
baby and all, immediately afterwards. She was 
saved with much difficulty ; the more so, as she 
seemed to particularly object to being rescued from 
what nearly proved a watery grave. 

After this unusual stroke of good luck, sending 



52 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

a prize crew on board my new capture, and allowing 
the slaver's crew to escape in the schooner's boat, as 
I considered these lawless ruffians an impediment 
to my movements, I proceeded on my voyage, and 
arrived safely in Eio harbour with my two prizes. 

There I handed my live cargo over to the English 
authorities, who had a special large and roomy vessel 
lying in the harbour for the reception of the now 
free niggers. 

It would be as well perhaps to state what became 
of the freed blacks. First of all they were cleaned, 
clothed (after a fashion), and fed ; then they were 
sent to an English colony, such for example as 
Demerara, where they had to serve seven years as 
apprentices (something, I must admit, very like 
slavery), after which they were free for ever and all. 
I fear they generally used their freedom in a way 
that made them a public nuisance wherever they 
were. However, they were free, and that satisfied 
the philanthropists. 



CHAPTER VI. 

SLAVER HUNTING (continued). 

Now to return to my * experiences/ As proud as 
the young sportsman wlien lie lias killed his first 
stag, I returned, keen as mustard, to my ship, which 
I found still cruising near to where I had left her. 
Some secret information that I had received while at 
Rio led me to ask my captain to again send me away 
with a force similar to that which I had under me be- 
fore (with percussion caps this time), and allow me to 
station myself some fifty miles further down the coast. 
My request was granted, and away I went. This time, 
instead of taking shelter under an island, I ensconced 
my little force behind a point of land which enabled 
me by mounting on the rocks to sweep the horizon 
with a spy-glass, so that I could discover any vessel 
approaching the land while she was yet at a con- 
siderable distance. 

There happened to be a large coffee plantation in 



54 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

my immediate neighbom'hood, and I remarked that 
the inhabitants favoured us with the darkest of 
scowls whenever we met them. This made me 
believe (and I wasn't far out) that the slave vessel I 
was looking out for was bringing recruits to the 
already numerous slaves employed on the said plan- 
tation. Two or three mornings after my arrival, I 
discovered a sail on the very far horizon ; a vessel 
evidently bound to the immediate neighbourhood I 
had chosen as my look-out place. The winds were 
baffling and light, as usual in the morning in these 
latitudes, where, however, there is always a sea 
breeze in the afternoon. So, being in no hurry, I 
sauntered about the shore with my double-barrelled 
gun in my hand, occasionally taking a look seaward. 
Suddenly I saw within a hundred yards of me a man 
leading two enormous dogs in a leash. The dogs 
were of a breed well known among slave-owners, 
as they were trained to run down runaway slaves. 
I believe the land of their origin is Cuba, as they are 
called Cuba bloodhounds. 

Suspecting nothing I continued my lounge, turn- 
ing my back on the man and his dogs. A few 
minutes afterwards I was startled by a rushing sound 
behind me. On turning quickly round I saw to my 
horror two huge dogs galloping straight at me. 



SLAVER HUNTING 55 

Quick as lightning I stood on the defensive, and 
when they with open mouths and bloodshot eyes 
were within five yards, I pulled the trigger. The 
gun missed fire with the first barrel. The second 
barrel luckily went ofi", scattering the brains of the 
nearest dog, the whole charge having entered his 
mouth, and gone through the palate into his brain. 
This occurrence seemed to check the advance of the 
second brute, who, while hesitating for a moment 
before coming at me, received a ball in his side from 
one of my sailors, who fortunately had observed what 
was going on and had come to my rescue. Without 
waiting an instant to see what had become of the 
man who had played me this murderous trick, I 
called my men together, launched the boats, and put 
out to sea. 

By this time the sea-breeze had set in, and I 
could see the vessel I had been watching, though 
still a considerable distance from the shore, was 
trimming her sails to the sea-breeze, and steering 
straight in for the very spot where I had been 
concealed. Signal after signal was made to her by 
her friends on the shore, in the shape of lighted fires 
(not much avail in the daytime) and the hoisting of 
flags, &c., but she seemed utterly to disregard the 
action of her friends. Satisfied, I imagine, that she 



56 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

had all but finished her voyage, seeing no cruiser and 
unsuspicious of boats, on she came.^ 

We got almost alongside of her before the people 
on board seemed to see us. When she did, evidently 
taken by surprise, she put her helm down, and 
throwing all her sails aback, snapped some of her 
lighter spars, thus throwing everything into confu- 
sion — confusion made worse by the fact that, with 
the view of immediate landing, two hundred or three 
hundred of the niggers had been freed from their 
confinement and were crowded on the deck. Taking 
advantage of this state of things we made our capture 
without a shot being fired. 

In fact everything was done, as sailors say,' before 
you could look round you,' the man at the helm re- 
placed by one of my men, the crew bundled down 
into the slave-hold to give them a taste of its horrors, 
and the sails trimmed for seaward instead of towards 
the land. The captain, who seemed a decent fellow, 
cried like a child. He said : * If I had seen you 
five minutes before you would never have taken me. 
Now I am ruined.' I consoled him as well as I 
could and treated him well, as he really seemed half 

* It must be understood that both men and boats were dis- 
guised so as to resemble the ordinary fishing coasters about those 
parts. 



SLAVER HUNTING 57 

a gentleman, if not entirely one. I found about 
six hundred slaves, men and women and cHldren, on 
board tbis vessel, wbo as they had made a very rapid 
and prosperous voyage, were in a somewhat better 
state than those on board the last capture. Still 
goodness knows their state was disgusting enough. 
Ophthalmia had got a terrible hold of the poor 
wretches. In many of the cases the patient was 
stone blind. I caught this painful disease myself, 
and for several days couldn't see a yard. 

Shortly after, having despatched our prize into 
Rio in charge of a brother midshipman, we were 
joined by another man-of-war cruiser, which had 
been sent to assist us in our work. As the officer 
in command of this vessel was of senior rank to 
my commander, he naturally took upon himself to 
organise another boat expedition, placing one of his 
own officers in command. With this expedition I 
was allowed to go, taking with me my old boats and 
their crews, with orders to place myself under the 
direction of Lieutenant A. C, the officer chosen by 
the senior in command. 

So we started with five boats provisioned and 
otherwise prepared for a cruise of twenty days. The 
lieutenant in charge did not think it wise to land, as 
a bad feeling towards us was known to exist among 



58 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

tlie inhabitants, wlio were all more or less slave- 
dealers, or interested in the success of the slave- 
vessels, so we had to live in our boats. Rather hard 
lines, sleeping on the boat's thwarts, &c. Still we 
had that * balm of Gilead,' hope, to keep us alive, and 
our good spirits. Many a longing eye did I cast to 
the shore, where, in spite of the bloodhounds, I should 
like to have stretched my cramped limbs. Ten or 
twelve days passed in dodging about, doing nothing 
but keeping a good look-out, and we almost began to 
despair, when one fine morning we saw a large brig, 
evidently a slaver, running in towards the shore with 
a fresh breeze. Our boats were painted like fishing 
boats, and our men disguised as fishermen, as usual ; 
so, apparently occupied with our pretended business, 
we gradually approached the slave vessel. My orders 
were strictly to follow the movements or action of my 
superior. Then I witnessed a gallant act, such as I 
have not seen surpassed during forty years of active 
service that I have gone through since that time. 
Lieutenant A. 0., who was in the leading boat, a large 
twelve-oared cutter, edged pretty near to the advanc- 
ing vessel, and when quite close under her bows one 
man seemed to me to spring like a chamois on 
board. I saw the boat from which the man jumped 
make an ineffectual attempt to get alongside the 



SLAVER HUNTING 59 

vessel, that was going at the rate of six miles an 
hour, and then drop astern. I heard a pistol shot, 
and suddenly the vessel was thrown up in the wind 
with all her sails aback, thus entirely stopping her 
way (sailors will understand this). Not knowing 
precisely what had happened, we pulled like maniacs 
alongside of the slaver. To do this was, now that 
the vessel's way was stopped, comparatively easy. 
We dashed on board, and after a slight resistance 
on the part of the slaver's crew, in which two or 
three more men, myself among the number, were 
wounded, we took possession of the brig. There we 
found our lieutenant standing calmly at the helm, 
which was a long wooden tiller. He it was who had 
jumped on board alone, shot the man at the helm, 
put the said helm down with his leg, while in his 
hand he held his other pistol, with which he threat- 
ened to shoot any one who dared to touch him. 

I fancy that his cool pluck had caused a panic 
among the undisciplined crew, a panic that our rapid 
approach tended much to increase. What astonished 
me was that nobody on board thought of shooting 
him before he got to the helm, in which case we 
never could have got on board the vessel, considering 
the speed she was going through the water. What 
he did was a glorious piece of pluck, that in these 



6o SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

days would have been rewarded with, the Victoria 
Cross as the least recompense they could have given 
to so gallant an officer. Poor fellow ! all the reward 
he got, beyond the intense admiration of those who 
saw him, was a bad attack of small-pox from the 
diseased animals (there is no other name for negroes 
in the state they were in) on board the slave vessel, 
which somewhat injured the face of one of the hand- 
somest men I ever saw. He is now an admiral, has 
done many gallant acts since then, but none could 
beat what he did on that memorable morning. 

I have said that I was among those who were 
wounded on this occasion. What my friend A. 0. 
did so far outshone anything that I had accom- 
plished, that it is hardly worth while speaking of my 
share in the fray. However, as I am writing sketches 
from my life, I will not omit to describe the way in 
which I was wounded. We were, as I have said, 
making a rush to assist our gallant leader, who was 
alone on board the slaver. The reader will have 
seen that our business was boarding and fighting our 
enemy hand to hand. As I was making a jump on 
board I saw the white of the eye of a great black 
man turned on me ; he brandished a huge axe, which 
I had a sort of presentiment was intended for me. 
I sprang as it were straight at my destiny, for as 



SLAVER HUNTING 6i 

I grasped the gunnel down came the axe, and I 
received the full edge of the beastly thing across the 
back of my hand. I fell into the water, but was 
picked up by my sailors, and managed to get on 
board again. Had it not been for a clever young 
assistant surgeon, who bound up the wound in a most 
scientific manner, I should probably have quite lost 
the use of my hand ; the mark remains across my 
knuckles to this day. 



62 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 



CHAPTER VII. 

LOVE AND MURDER. 

I WAS once sent from Rio to Demerara, an English 
colony on the coast of Brazil, with a cargo of blacks 
that we had freed. Then it was that I had a good 
opportunity of studying the character of these people 
certainly in their primitive state, and if ever men 
and women resembled wild animals it was my swarthy 
charges. When I arrived at Demerara I handed 
them over to their new masters, to whom they were 
apprenticed for seven years, and from all I can under- 
stand they were, during their apprenticeship, treated 
pretty much as slaves in every respect. 

During the time I visited Demerara (and I fancy it 
is very slightly changed now) it was one of the vilest 
holes in creation. It is built on a low sandy point 
of land at the entrance of a great river, and is almost 
the hottest place on the earth. Mosquitos in thou- 
sands of millions ; nothing for the natives to do but 



LOVE AND MURDER 63 

to cultivate sugar-canes and to perspire. There were 
two crack regiments quartered at Demerara, wlio, 
having to withstand the dreadful monotony of doing 
nothing, took I fear to living rather too well ; the 
consequence was that many a fine fellow had been 
carried ofi" by yellow fever. For my part, I took a 
rather high flight in the way of pastime by falling 
(as I imagined) desperately in love with the 
.governor's daughter. The governor, I must tell my 
readers, was a very great swell, a general, a K.C.B., 
&c., and his daughter was a mighty pretty girl, 
much run after by the garrison ; so it was thought 
great impertinence on my part, as a humble sub- 
lieutenant, to presume to make love to the reigning, 
if not the only, beauty in the place. 

However, audacity carried me on, and I soon 
became No. 1 in the young lady's estimation. I 
used to ride with her, spent the evenings in the 
balcony of Government House with her, sent her 
flowers every morning, and so on, till at last people 
began to talk, and steps were taken by her numerous 
admirers to stop my wild career. This was done in 
a somewhat startling way (premeditated, as I found 
out afterwards). One evening I was playing at 
whist, one of my opponents being a momentarily 
discarded lover of my young lady ; I thought he was 



64 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

looking very distrait ; However, things went off quietly 
enougli for some time, till on some trifling question 
arising concerning the rules of the game, the young 
man suddenly and quite gratuitously insulted me 
most grossly, ending his insolent conduct by throw- 
ing his cards in my face. This was more than I 
could put up with, so I called him out, and the next 
morning put a ball into his ankle, which prevented 
him dancing for a long time to come. He, being the 
best dancer in the colony, was rather severely pun- 
ished ; it seems that he had undertaken to bell the 
cat, hardly expecting such unpleasant results. 

On returning home after the hostile meeting I 
found a much more formidable adversary in the shape 
of the governor himself, who was stamping furiously 
up and down the verandah of my apartment. He 
received me with, * What the d — ^1 do you mean, 
young sir, by making love to my daughter ? you 
are a mere boy.' (I was twenty and did not relish his 
remark.) ^ What means have you got ? ' 

After the old gentleman's steam had gone down a 
little I replied, ^ Eeally, general, I hardly know how 
to answer you. Your daughter and I are very good 
friends, the place is most detestably dull, there is 
nothing to do, and if we amuse ourselves with a 
little love-making, surely there can be no great 



LOVE AND MURDER 65 

harm.* This rejoinder of mine made things worse ; 
I thought the old boy would have had a fit. At last 
he said, ' The mail steamer leaves for England to- 
morrow ; you shall go home by her, I order you to do 
so ! ' I replied that I should please myself, and that 
I was not under his orders. The general went away 
uttering threats. After he was gone I thought 
seriously over the matter. I calculated that my in- 
come of 120Z. a year would scarcely suffice to keep 
a wife, and I decided to renounce my dream of love. 
I went to pay a farewell visit to my young lady, but 
found that she was locked up, so away I went and 
soon forgot all about it. Shortly afterwards I heard 
that the governor's daughter married the man whose 
leg I had lamed for his impertinence to me. 

My last adventure while employed in the suppres- 
sion of the slave trade is perhaps worth describing. 

By international law it was ruled that a vessel 
on her way to Africa, if fitted out in a certain manner, 
whereby it was evident that she was employed in the 
nefarious traffic of slavery, was liable to capture and 
condemnation by the mixed tribunals, or in other 
words became the lawful prize of her captors. 

While cruising ofi" Pernambuco we boarded a 
Portuguese vessel bound to Africa, so evidently fitted 
out for the purpose of slave trade that my captain 
4 



66 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

took possession of lier, and sent me to convey lier to 
tlie Cape of Good Hope for adjudication. It was 
tlie usual tMng to send tbe captain of a vessel so 
captured as a prisoner on board his sliip, so that lie 
might be interrogated at the trial. In this case the 
master and three of his crew were sent. The prize 
crew consisted of myself and six men. Now the 
captain was an exceedingly gentlemanlike man, a 
good sailor, and a first-rate navigator. 

At first I treated, him as a prisoner, but by 
degrees he insinuated himself into my good graces to 
such an extent that after a while I invited him to 
mess with me, in fact, made a friend of him, little 
thinking of the serpent I was nourishing. 

For several days all went well. I was as unsus- 
picious as a child of foul play. We lived together 
and worked our daily navigation together, played at 
cards together, in fact were quite chums. The three 
men who were supposed to be prisoners were allowed 
considerable liberty, and as they had, as I found out 
afterwards, a private stock of grog stowed away 
somewhere, which they occasionally produced and 
gave to my men, they managed to be pretty free to do 
as they wished. For all that, I ordered that the three 
prisoners should be confined below during the night. 

As the weather was very hot I always slept in 



LOVE AND MURDER 67 

a little place on deck called a bunk, a thing more 
like a dog-kennel than aught else I can compare it 
to, excepting that the hole for entrance and exit 
was somewhat larger than that generally used for the 
canine species. 

I always slept with a pistol (revolvers were un- 
known in those days) under my pillow. Luckily for 
me that I did so, as the result will show. 

I had remarked (this I thought of afterwards) 
that the prisoner captain and some of his men had 
been whispering together a good deal lately ; but not 
being in the slightest degree suspicious I thought 
nothing of it. 

One evening I retired to my sleeping place as 
usual, after having passed a pleasant chatty evening 
with my prisoner. I was settling myself to sleep, in 
fact I think I was asleep as far as it would be called 
so, for I had from habit the custom of sleeping with 
one eye open, when I saw ov felt the flash of a knife 
over my head. The entrance to my couch was very 
limited, so that my would-be murderer had some 
difficulty in striking the fatal blow. Instinct at once 
showed me my danger. 

To draw my pistol from under my pillow was the 
work of a second; to fire it into the body of the 
man who was trying to stab me, that of another. A 



68 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

groan and a heavy fall on tlie deck told me wliat had 
happened, and springing out of my sleeping berth I 
found my ci-devant friend the captain lying on his 
face, dead as a door nail. In the meantime I heard 
a row in the fore-part of the ship. On going for- 
ward I saw one of the prisoners in the act of falling 
overboard, and another extended full length on the 
deck, while my stalwart quarter-master was flourish- 
ing a handspike with which he had knocked one 
of his assailants overboard and floored the other. 
Now it will be asked what was the man at the wheel 
doing ? Hereby hangs a tale. He swore that he 
heard or saw nothing. Considering this sufficient 
evidence of his guilt, I put him in irons. Shortly 
afterwards he confessed the whole story. It seems 
that a conspiracy had been planned among the 
prisoners to retake the ship — that the man at the 
wheel had been bribed to let free two of the prisoners, 
under promise of a large reward if the result had 
been the retaking of the ship. 

The only provision he made was that he was to 
take no murderous action against his countrymen. 
The man at the helm and the quarter-master being 
the only men on deck, and I being gone to roost, 
all seemed easy enough, but Providence willed it 
otherwise. 



LOVE 'AND MURDER 69 

I buried the captain in tlie sea without further 
ceremony ; the man who fell overboard I suppose 
was drowned (I did not try to pick him up) ; the 
man knocked down was put in irons, and all went 
smoothly for the rest of the voyage ; but when I 
arrived at the Cape of Good Hope without the 
captain, the lawyers who defended the ship wanted 
to make out that I had murdered him, and I was 
very nearly sent to prison on the charge of murder. 

In the above pages I have endeavoured to give 
some notion of what used to go on in old times 
when there were no steam launches, and when, I may 
be forgiven for saying it, sailors were in every sense 
of the word sailors, 

I could recount many more adventures somewhat 
similar to those I have described, but I do not wish 
to bore my readers or appear egotistical in their eyes. 
The only comparison I would make in regard to our 
doings in those days is with the work done by the 
blockading squadron during the civil war in America ; 
for if ever men required plucky endurance and self- 
denial it was the poor fellows who had to keep, or 
endeavour to keep, blockade-runners if not slavers 
from communicating with the stormy shores of 
Florida and South Carolina. They are too modest 
now to tell us what they went through. Perhaps 



70 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

forty years hence they will do as I am doing, and 
recount some of their adventures, whicli I am con- 
vinced would quite put into the shade anything I or 
my boat's crew ever did. 

I do not wish to be mistaken in my remarks 
about the black race. I will not venture to give an 
opinion as to what Providence meant to be done with 
those interesting creatures. I only assert, and this I 
do from my own personal experience, that a black man 
is a happier and wiser man in America than he is in 
his own wretched country, North and South. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE queen's yacht. 

I RETURNED from the Cape to England. On arriving 
there I was appointed to the Queen's yacht, as a 
reward for what their lordships at the Admiralty 
were good enough to designate my active and 
zealous services while employed in suppression of the 
slave trade. 

To be appointed to Her Majesty's yacht was in 
those days considered a very great distinction. Even 
now the Queen invariably chooses oflScers who have 
seen what is called ' service/ Such an appointment, 
apart from the honour of being so near Her Majesty, 
always tends to rapid promotion. 

The Queen at the time I write of was very fond 
of cruising in her yacht, paying visits to foreign 
potentates, &c. Her Majesty had been then five 
years married, with a young family springing up 
around her, and her beloved husband, the Prince 



72 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Consort always with her, participating in all her 
pleasures ; so we, the officers of the Royal yacht, had 
a rare time of it, were made a lot of wherever we 
went, and thought ourselves very great men indeed. 
Amongst other trips, we conveyed the Royal family 
up the Rhine, where Her Majesty visited the King 
of Prussia at Stolzenfels. 

Afterwards we went to the Chateau d'Eu, where 
Her Majesty was received by King Louis Philippe 
and the Reine Amelie. 

I shall never forget the condescending kindness 
of Her Majesty and Prince Albert to all on board 
the Royal yacht. As to the Prince Consort, he treated 
the officers more in the light of companions than 
subordinates, always ready to join us in a cigar and 
its accompanying friendly conversation. 

Apropos of smoking, I cannot refrain from men- 
tioning a little incident that happened on board the 
'Victoria and Albert,' that I, for one, shall never 
forget. Her Gracious Majesty never approved of 
smoking, and it was only through the kind consider- 
ation of the Prince Consort that we were allowed to 
indulge in an occasional cigar in the cow-house. The 
cow-house was a little place fitted up for two pretty 
small Alderney cows, kept specially for supplying 
milk and butter for the Royal table. 



THE QUEEN'S YACHT 73 

Her Majesty was very fond of these animals and 
had the habit of visiting them every day, and the 
young Princes used to be held up to look in at the 
window, out of which there was room for the favoured 
cows to stretch their heads. One evening we were 
smoking as usual when I espied a pot of blue paint 
on. the deck of the cow-house, with, as bad luck 
would have it, a brush in the pot. I cannot say 
what induced me, but I deliberately took the brush 
and painted the tips of the noses and the horns of 
both animals a pretty light blue. Having done this 
I thought no more of the matter. The next morning 
Her Majesty — well, I think I had better say no more 
about it. I, the culprit, was denounced and had to 
keep out of the way for a day or two. Then it was 
that the good-natured Prince proved himself a friend, 
and got me out of my scrape. 

I passed two of the happiest years of my life in 
the Queen's yacht, after which I was promoted to the 
rank of lieutenant, and appointed to a ship in the 
Mediterranean, where I passed for several years the 
usual humdrum life of a naval officer during times of 
profound peace. 

However, while serving as a lieutenant in the 
Mediterranean, I had the advantage of taking part 
in one of the most interesting political events of the 



74 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

century, namely, tiie fliglit of Pius IX. from Eome. 
The ship I was in was stationed at Civita Yecchia, 
tlie sea-port of Rome, partly in order to protect Brit- 
ish interests — that is, the persons and properties of 
British subjects — partly with the object of taking 
that half-hearted part in religious politics which has 
always been such a humiliating role for England. 

We had an accredited agent, a nondescript sort 
of person, representing England at the court of Pope 
Pius IX. This gentleman's duty was to watch and 
report, but not to act. It was through him that Eng- 
land's idea of the policy to be pursued by the Pope was 
conveyed. We did not, and we did, want to interfere. 
The question of the balance of power of Italy as an 
independent nation was too important to neglect ; it 
was impossible to separate altogether religion and 
politics. However, at the time I write of things were 
rushing to a crisis. 

The Pope, who a short time previously had been 
considered the great supporter of liberty, was now 
looked upon as its enemy. Garibaldi was, in a mad 
sort of way, fighting in its cause — at least, he pro- 
fessed to do so. He had marched with a band of 
howling volunteers to the gates of Rome, and esta- 
blished himself there as its conqueror, virtually making 
the Pope a prisoner in the Vatican. In the meantime 



THE MEDITERRANEAN 75 

France interfered in the Pope's cause, and sent 
General Oudinot with a small army to dislodge 
Garibaldi. England's doubtful diplomatic relations 
made it necessary to choose every sort of means of 
communicating with the Pope, and I had the honour 
on more than one occasion of being the messenger 
chosen to communicate, not only with His Holiness, 
but between Garibaldi and the French commander. 
On the first occasion I was sent to Rome with des- 
patches from Lord Palmerston to be delivered (so 
said my orders) into the Pope's own hands. 

On my arrival at Rome I went straight to the 
Quirinal and asked to see Cardinal Antonelli. When 
I informed him of my instructions, he said at once, 
* You may give your despatches to me ; you cannot 
expect to see His Holiness.' ^No, sir; to the Pope 
I will give my despatches, or take them back again,' 
and from this decision no persuasions or threats 
would move me. Finding me obstinate the Cardinal 
at last took me with him into a room where the Pope 
was sitting. His Holiness seemed in a great state 
of anxiety, but was most kind and condescending. 
He gave me his hand to kiss, and congratulated 
me on having been so firm in obeying orders in 
relation to my despatches. I afterwards found 
that these despatches influenced very much the 



76 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

important step taken by Pio Nono a few days after- 
wards. 

Subsequently I several times conveyed communi- 
cations between General Garibaldi and General 
Oudinot. The former had most pluckily taken pos- 
session of an important position inside the walls of 
Rome, and it was a hard piece of work to dislodge 
him. 

I used to gallop in between General Oudinot's 
camp and Garibaldi's head-quarters, having on my 
arm a red scarf for a sign that I was not a belligerent. 
My scarf was not much use, however, as I was gene- 
rally fired at all the time that I was passing the 
space between the French camp and Garibaldi's head- 
quarters in Eome. 

I was amused by the audacity with which Gari- 
baldi resisted the French army. I fancy he wanted 
to delay matters so that the Pope should be induced 
to take the ill-advised step of leaving Eome, and in 
this the republican general succeeded. What went 
on in Rome, the way in which the Pope escaped, &c., 
I am not able to relate. All I know is that one fine 
morning a simple carriage arrived from Rome at 
Civita Yecchia, bringing a portly individual enve- 
loped in the large cloak of an English coachman, 
and another man in ordinary apparel. They strolled 



THE MEDITERRANEAN 77 

down to the place of embarkation, and went quietly 
on board, not (as was expected) the English man-of- 
war, but a French vessel-of-war which was lying with 
her steam up. 

This vessel then left the harbour, almost un- 
noticed, and it was not for hours afterwards that we 
heard that His Holiness Pius IX. was the humble- 
looking person who had embarked before our eyes, 
and thus got away safely to Gaeta. 



78 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 



CHAPTER IX. 

INTHEBALTIC. 

In 1854 tlie war (commonly called tlie Crimean war) 

broke out, and I was appointed first lieutenant of 

H.M.S. for service in tlie Baltic. 

I shall never forget tlie excitement among us all 

when, after so many years of inactivity, we were 

called upon to defend tlie honour of our country. 

Unfortunately for old England the Baltic fleet was 

put under the command of Sir C. K -, * fighting 

old Charley' as he was called, though it was not long 

before we discovered that there was not much fight 

left in him. It might weU be said by those generously 

inclined towards him, in the words of the old song, 

that the 

* Bullets and the gout 
Had so knocked his hull about. 
That he'd never more be fit for sea.* 

A finer fleet never sailed or steamed from Spit- 
head than that destined for the Baltic in 1854. The 



IN THE BALTIC 79 

signal from its commander, ' Lads, war is declared ! 
Sharpen your cutlasses and the day 's your own,' sent 
a thrill of joy through every breast. After following 
the melting ice up the Baltic Sea to within almost 
reach of the guns of Cronstadt, we waited till the 
ice had disappeared, and then went in as we thought 
for the attack. 

The ship to which I belonged being a steamer, 
and drawing much less water than the line-of-battle 
ships, led the way. A grander sight could not be 
conceived than that of twenty splendid line-of- 
battle ships, formed in two lines, steaming straight 
up to the frowning batteries of Cronstadt. On our 
approaching the batteries a shot was fired, and fell 
alongside the ship I was in, which, as I said, was 
leading for the purpose of sounding, when, to our 
astonishment and disgust, the signal was made from 
the flag-ship to the fleet ' Stop !' and immediately 
afterwards to ^ anchor.* 

It is not for me to say the reason ' why.' All that 
I can vouch for is that, in the general opinion of 
competent judges, had we gone on we could have 
taken or destroyed Cronstadt, instead of which — 
what was done ? They sent to England for special 
boats to be made ready for the next summer, when the 
attack would be made on Cronstadt. 



8o SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

We remained a few days at anclior off ttat place, 
when some half of the fleet were detached to the 
Aland Islands, where an insignificant fort called Bom- 
arsund was to be attacked —not by the English and 
French fleets, who were fit to do any mortal thing, 
but by an army fetched from France. When the army 
came, the poor little fort attacked by the fleet on 
the seaside, and on the shore by the soldiers, after 
firing a few shots surrendered. During the attack 

I was appointed acting commander of H.M.S. , 

and was mentioned honourably in despatches. 

Many promotions were made for the taking of 
Bomarsund, but I fancy I had as usual given my 
opinion too freely, as I was left out in the cold. I 
shall never forget old Charley's answer to me when I 
applied for my promotion, it was so worthy of him. 
He said, * Don't ye come crying to me, Sir ; you are a 
lord's son : I'll have nothing to do wi' ye.' 

Immediately after the capture of Bomarsund, the 
Admiral detached a small squadron under Captain 

S to reconnoitre the Russian port of Abo. Of 

that squadron the vessel of which I was commander 
formed one. We left with sealed orders, which were 
not to be opened until we arrived at, or near to, our 
destination. 

On sighting the enemy's port we perceived that 



IN THE BALTIC 8i 

every preparation was being made to give us a warm 
reception. A council of war was held on board 
the senior oflBcer's ship, at which council the sealed 
orders were opened, when to our disgust it was 
found within that we were ordered *not to fight, 
merely to reconnoitre.' 

Sickening humiliation ! There were the Russian 
gunboats inside the bar of the harbour of Abo, firing 
at us with all their might. The forts on the heights, 
such as they were, very insignificant temporary bat- 
teries of field-pieces, had commenced to get the range 
of the ships ; but as we were not to fight, we took a 
sulky shot or two at the enemy and retired. 

To this day I cannot understand the policy that 
actuated this weak, vacillating conduct on the part of 
our chief. But some idea may be given of his fight- 
ing notions by the following occurrence, of which I 
was a witness. 

One morning despatches arrived from England. 
A signal was made from the flag-ship for command- 
ing officers to repair on board that vessel. On our 
arrival there, we were asked to sit down to break- 
fast. Our chief, who was opening his letters, suddenly 
threw a despatch over the table to S , the ad- 
miral of the fleet, saying, ' What would ye do, mun, 
if ye received a letter like this ? ' . S , after 



82 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

reading tlie letter said, ' If I received a letter like 
that, I'd attack Eevel or Sveaborg if I lost half my 
fleet.' Our chiefs answer I shall never forget. It 

was : ' I haven't got nerve to do it, and I'm d d 

well sure C hasn't.' There are many living be- 
sides myself who can vouch for the accuracy of this 
statement. 

I shall say no more of the doings of the English 
fleet in the Baltic during that year. Suffice it, that 
if ever open mutiny was displayed — not by the crews 
of the ships, but by many of the captains, men who 
attained the highest rank in their profession — it 
was during the cruise in the Baltic in 1854 : and no 
wonder. 

Many gallant deeds were performed by single 
ships, but the fleet did absolutely nothing, except 
help to capture Bomarsund. I returned to England 
disgusted and disheartened. The next year the 
commander-in-chief was changed ; I was appointed 
to his ship, and we went again to the Baltic, taking 
with us all the necessary appurtenances for bombard- 
ing forts and attacking the enemy's coast. 

As soon as the melting of the ice permitted we 
arrived off Cronstadt, and found that the Russians 
had not been asleep during our absence for the winter 
months ; for they had defended the approaches to 



IN THE BALTIC 83 

that place to such an extent, that an attack was con- 
sidered (and on this occasion there was no difference 
of opinion) most unadvisable. So we fell back on 
Sveaborg, which place was bombarded by the com- 
bined fleets, I venture to think most successfully, and 
I believe, had we had a force to land, we could have 
taken possession of that large and important fortress. 

Our losses during the operation were small on 
board the squadron of mortar-boats which I had the 
good luck to command — some fifty-eight men liors 
de combat. 

In this service I received my promotion to the 
rank of commander, and returned to England. 

Peace was made between Russia and England, 
previous to which, however, I was appointed to a 
vessel in the Mediterranean which formed part of the 
fleet off Sebastopol. Unfortunately, I arrived too late 
to see much active service there. 

While serving as a commander in the Mediter- 
ranean, I was principally under the command of Sir 

Wm. M , a man whose reputation as being the 

smartest officer in the navy, I must venture to say, 
I think was greatly exaggerated, though he was 
doubtless what is called a ' smart officer.' 

His idea was to rule with a rod of iron, and never 
to encourage anyone by praising zealous and active 



84 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

service. He used to say, * I am here to find fault 
with, not to praise, officers under my command.' So 
many a fine fellow's zeal was damped by knowing 
that no encouragement would follow in the way of 
appreciation from his chief, however much he might 
have merited it. 

I cannot refrain from recounting a very amusing 
incident that occurred in connection with my com- 
mand of H.M.S. 'E . I may mention that, differ- 
ing as I did most materially with the system of 
discipline followed by the commander-in-chief, I was 
no favourite of his. 

One day, however, I was somewhat surprised at 
being ordered to prepare for the official inspection of 

my ship, and by no less a person than Sir W. M 

himself. I must mention that one of the crotchets 
of the chief was that vessels such as mine — namely, a 
gunboat of the first class — could be floated off the 
shore, in case of their stranding, by water-casks being 
lashed round them. So orders were given that all 
vessels of that class were to lumber their decks with 
water-casks. I did so, according to orders ; but, not 
having the least confidence in the manner in which 
the commander-in-chief proposed to employ them, I 
utilised them, as will be seen presently, for an entirely 
different purpose. 



IN THE BALTIC 85 

The day of my ship's inspection was evidently 
not one of my lucky days. To begin with, a horrid 
little monkey belonging to the crew — amusing himself 
running about in the hammock-nettings near to the 
gangway over which the great man had to pass — 
seeing something he thought unusual, made a rush 
as the commander-in-chief was stepping on board, 
stooped down, and deliberately took the cocked hat off 
his head, dropped it into the sea, then started up the 
rigging chattering with delight at the mischief he 
had done. The cocked hat was at once recovered, 
wiped dry, and placed in its proper place. The 
admiral, always stern as a matter of principle, 
looked, after this incident, sterner than usual, 
hardly recognised me except by a formal bow, then 
proceeded to muster the officers and crew. This over, 
he commenced to walk round the deck. I remarked 
with pleasure his countenance change when he saw 
how neatly his pet water-casks were painted and 
lashed to the inner gunnel of the ship. He said 
quite graciously, * I am glad to see. Captain Hobart, 
that you pay such attention to my orders.' I began 
to think I was mistaken in my idea of the man ; but, 
alas! for my exuberance of spirits and satisfaction, 
while the admiral was closely examining one of his 
pet casks, his face came almost in contact with the 



86 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

opening of tlie barrel, when, to his and my horror, a 
pretty little spaniel put out his head and licked the 
great man on the nose. 

I shall never forget the admiral's countenance; 
he turned blue with anger, drew himself up, ordered 
his boat to be manned, and walked over the side not 
saying a word to anyone. 

The facts which led to this untoward occurrence 
were that, seeing the necessity of having my decks 
crowded with what I considered useless lumber, in 
the form of water-casks, I had utilised them by mak- 
ing them into dog-kennels. The admiral hated dogs, 
hated sport of all kind, and, after what occurred, I 
fancy hated me. Well, I didn't love him ; I never 
saw him again. 

The very next day I was ordered to the coast of 
Syria : just what I wanted, i.e., to be out of the 
commander-in-chiefs way, and to have some good 
shooting. 



CHAPTER X. 

BLOCKADE-RUNNING. 

On receiving my rank as post-captain, I found 
myself shelved, as it were, for four years, while waiting 
my turn for a command. This was according to the 
rules of the navy, so there was no getting out of it. 
"What was I to do ? I consulted several of my friends 
who were in a similar position, who, like myself, did 
not wish to remain idle so long, so we looked about 
us for some enterprise, as something to do. 

The upshot of it was that we thought of trying if 
we could not conceive some plan for breaking through 
the much-talked-of blockade of the Southern States 
of America, then in revolt against the government of 
Washington. Four of us young post-captains took 
this decision, and as it would have been, perhaps, 
considered infra dig. for real naval officers to engage 
in such an enterprise, we lent our minds, if not our 
bodies, to certain alter egos, whom we inspired, if 



88 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

we did not personally control, as to their line of 
conduct. My man I will call Roberts, whose adven- 
tures I now give, and in whose name I shall write. 
There are people who insist that I was Captain 
Roberts; all that such people have to do is to 
prove I was that * miscreant,' whoever he may have 
been. The following is his narrative : — 

During the late civil war in America the 
executive government undertook the blockade of 
more than 3,000 miles of coast, and though nothing 
could exceed the energy and activity of the naval 
officers so employed, the results were very unsatisfac- 
tory, inasmuch as it was not till absolute possession 
was taken of the forts at the entrance of the great 
harbours, such as Charleston, Mobile, and Wilming- 
ton, that blockade-running was stopped. 

I trust that our American friends will not be 
too severe in their censures on those engaged in 
blockade-running; for, I say it with the greatest 
respect for and admiration of enterprise, had they 
been lookers-on instead of principals in the sad drama 
that was enacted, they would have been the very men 
to take the lead. It must be borne in mind that the 
excitement of fighting did not exist. One was always 
either running away or being deliberately pitched 
into by the broadsides of the American cruisers, the 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 89 

slightest resistance to which would have constituted 
piracy; whereas capture without resistance merely 
entailed confiscation of cargo and vessel. 

The vessel I had charge of — which I had brought 
out from England, was one of the finest double-screw 

steamers that had ever been built by D n ; of 400 

tons burden, 250 horse-power, 180 feet long, and 22 
feet beam — and was, so far as sea-going qualities, 
speed, &c., went, as handy a little craft as ever floated. 
Our crew consisted of a captain, three officers, three 
engineers, and twenty-eight men, including firemen, 
that is, ten seamen and eighteen firemen. They 
were all Englishmen, and as they received very high 
wages, we managed to have picked men. In fact, 
the men-of-war on the West India station found it a 
difficult matter to prevent their crews from deserting, 
so great was the temptation ofiered by the blockade- 
runners. 

I will begin by explaining how we prepared the 
vessel for the work. This was done by reducing her 
spars to a light pair of lower masts, without any 
yards across them ; the only break in their sharp 
outline being a small crow's-nest on the foremast, to 
be used as a look-out place. The hull, which showed 
about eight feet above water, was painted a dull grey 
colour to render her as nearly as possible invisible in 



,9o SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

tlie niglit. Tlie boats were lowered square with the 
gunnels. Coal was taken on board of a smokeless 
nature (anthracite). The funnel, being what is 
called ' telescope,' lowered closedown to the deck. In 
order that no noise might be made, steam was blown 
off under water. In fact, every ruse was resorted to, 
to enable the vessel to evade the vigilance of the 
American cruisers, who were scattered about in great 
numbers all the way between Bermuda and Wilming- 
ton — the port at the time I write of most frequented 
by blockade -runners. While speaking of the precau- 
tions used I may mention that among the fowls taken 
on board as provisions, no cocks were allowed, for fear 
of their proclaiming the whereabouts of the blockade- 
runner. This may seem ridiculous, but it was very 
necessary. 

The distance from Bermuda to Wilmington (the 
port we were bound to) is 720 miles. We started 
in the evening. For the first twenty-four hours we 
saw nothing to alarm us, but at daylight the second 
day there was a large American cruiser not half a 
mile from us, right ahead, who, before we could turn 
round, steamed straight at us, and commenced firing 
rapidly, but very much at random, the shot and 
shell all passing over or wide of us. 

Fortunately, according to orders to have full 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 91 

steam on at daybreak, we were quite prepared for a 
run; and still more fortunately a heavy squall of 
wind and rain that came on helped us vastly, as we 
were dead to windward of the enemy ; and having 
no top-weights we soon dropped him astern. He 
most foolishly kept yawing, to fire his bow-chasers, 
losing ground every time he did so. By eight 
o'clock we were out of range — unhit ; and by noon 
out of sight of anything but smoke. 

Luckily, the chase had not taken us much off our 
com'se, as the consumption of coal during a run of 
this sort, with boilers all but bursting from high 
pressure of steam, was a most serious consideration 
— there being no coal in the Confederate ports, where 
wood was only used, which would not suit our 
furnaces. 

We were now evidently in very dangerous waters, 
steamers being reported from our mast-head every 
hour, and we had to keep moving about in all 
directions to avoid them; sometimes stopping to 
let one pass ahead of us, at another time turning 
completely rownd, and running back on our course. 
Luckily, we were never seen or chased. Night 
came on, and I had hoped that we should have made 
rapid progress till daybreak unmolested. All was 
quiet until about one o'clock in the morning, when 



92 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

suddenly, to our dismay, we found a steamer close 
alongside of us. How she liad got there without 
our knowledge is a mystery to me even now. How- 
ever, there she was, and we had hardly seen her 
before a stentorian voice howled out, * Heave-to in 
that steamer, or I'll sink you.' It seemed as if all 
was over, but I determined to try a ruse before 
giving the little craft up. So I answered, * Ay, ay, 
sir, we are stopped.' The cruiser was about eighty 
yards from us. We heard orders given to man and 
arm the quarter-boats, we saw the boats lowered into 
the water, we saw them coming, we heard the crews 
laughing and cheering at the prospect of their prize. 
The bowmen had just touched the sides of our vessel 
with their boat-hooks when I whispered down the 
tube into the engine-room, * Full speed ahead 1 ' and 
away we shot into the darkness. 

I don't know what happened; whether the cap- 
tain of the man-of-war thought that his boats had 
taken possession, and thus did not try to stop us, 
or whether he stopped to pick up his boats in the 
rather nasty sea that was running, some one who 
reads this may know. All I can say is, that not a 
shot was fired, and that in less than a minute the 
pitch darkness hid the cruiser from our view. This 
was a great piece of luck. 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 93 

All the next day we passed in dodging about, 
avoidiQg the cruisers as best we could, but always 
approaching our post. 

During the day we got good observations with 
which our sounding agreed ; and at sunset our posi- 
tion was sixty miles due east of the entrance to 
Wilmington river, off which place were cruising a 
strong squadron of blockading ships. The American 
blockading squadron, which had undertaken the 
almost impossible task of stopping all traffic along 
3,000 miles of coast, consisted of nearly a hundred 
vessels of different sorts and sizes — hond-fide men- 
of-war, captured blockade-runners, unemployed steam- 
packets, with many other vessels pressed into govern- 
ment service. Speed and sufficient strength to carry 
a long gun were the only requisites, the Confederate 
men-of-war being few and far between. These 
vessels were generally well commanded and officered, 
but badly manned. The inshore squadron off Wil- 
mington consisted of about thirty vessels, and lay in 
the form of a crescent facing the entrance to Cape 
Clear river, the centre being just out of range of the 
heavy guns mounted on Fort Fisher, the horns, as 
it were, gradually approaching the shore on each 
side ; the whole line or curve covered about ten 
miles. 



94 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

The blockade-runners had been in the habit of 
trying to get between the vessel at either extremity ; 
and the coast being quite flat and dangerous, without 
any landmark, excepting here and there a tree some- 
what taller than others, the cruisers generally kept 
at a sufficient distance to allow of this being done. 
The runner would then crawl close along the shore, 
and when as near as could be judged opposite the 
entrance of the river, would show a light on the 
vessel's inshore side, which was answered by a very 
indistinct light being shown on the beach, close to 
the water's edge, and another at the background. 
These two lights being got into a line was a proof 
that the opening was arrived at ; the vessels then 
steered straight in and anchored under the Con- 
federate batteries at Fort Fisher. More vessels were 
lost crawling along this dangerous beach than were 
taken by the cruisers. I have seen three burning at 
one time, for the moment a vessel struck she was 
set fire to, to prevent the blockaders getting her off 
when daylight came. 

This system of evading the cruisers, however, 
having been discovered, it was put a stop to by a 
very ingenious method, by which several vessels were 
captured and an end put to that little game. Of 
course I can only conjecture the way in which it was 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 95 

done, but it seemed to me to be thus: At the 
extreme end of the line of blockaders lay one of them 
with a kedge anchor, down so close to the shore that 
she left but a very little space for the blockade- 
runner to pass between her and the beach. The 
captain of the runner, however, trusting to his 
vessel's speed and invisibility, dashed through this 
space, and having got by the cruiser thought himself 
safe. Poor fellow ! he was safe for a moment, but in 
such a trap that his only chance of getting out of it 
was by running on shore or giving up. For no sooner 
had he passed than up went a rocket from the 
cruiser who had seen the runner rush by, and who 
now moved a little further in towards the shore, so 
as to stop her egress by the way she went in ; and 
the other vessels closing round by a pre-arranged 
plan, the capture or destruction of the blockade- 
runner was a certainty. 

Some of the captains most pluckily ran their 
vessels on shore, and frequently succeeded in setting 
fire to them; but the boats of the cruisers were some- 
times too sharp in their movements to admit of this 
being done, and the treatment of those who tried to 
destroy their vessels was, I am sorry to say, very 
barbarous and unnecessary. Moreover, men who 
endeavoured to escape by jumping overboard affcer 



9^ SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

the vessel was on shore were often fired at by grape 
and shell, in what seemed to me a very unjustifiable 
manner. Great allowance, however, must be made 
for the men-of-war's men, who after many hard nights 
of dreary watching constantly under weigh, saw their 
well-earned prize escaping by being run on shore and 
set fire to, just as they imagined they had got pos- 
session. On several occasions they have been content 
to tow the empty shell of an iron vessel ofi" the shore, 
her valuable cargo having been destroyed by fire. 

But I have left my little craft lying as was 
stated about sixty miles from the entrance of the river. 
I had determined to try a new method of getting 
through the blockading squadron, seeing that the 
usual plan, as described above, was no longer feasible 
or, at least, advisable. I have mentioned that our 
position was well defined by observations and sound- 
ings, so we determined to run straight through the 
blockaders, and to take our chance. When it was 
quite dark we started steaming at full speed. It was 
extremely thick on the horizon, but clear overhead, 
with just enough wind and sea to prevent the little 
noise the engines and screws made being heard. 
Every light was out — even the men's pipes ; the 
masts were lowered on to the deck ; and if ever a 
vessel was invisible the B n was that night. 



BLOCKADE R UNNING 97 

We passed several outlying cruisers, some 
unpleasantly near, but still we passed them. All 
seemed going favourably, when suddenly I saw 
through my glasses the long low line of a steamer 
right ahead, lying as it were across our bows so close 
that it would have been impossible to pass to the 
right or left of her without being seen. A prompt 
order given to the engine-room (where the chief 
engineer stood to the engines) to reverse one engine, 
was as promptly obeyed, and the little craft spun 
round like a teetotum. If I had not seen it, I could 
never have believed it possible that a vessel would 
have turned so rapidly, and (although, perhaps, it is 
irrelevant to my subject) I cannot refrain from bear- 
ing testimony to the wonderful powers of turning 
that are given to a vessel by the application of 
Symond's turnscrews, as he loves to call them. On 
this occasion £50,000 of property was saved to its 
owners. I do not believe the cruiser saw us at all, 
and so very important to us was the fact that we had 
.turned in so short a space, that I scarcely think we 
lost five yards of our position. Having turned we 
stopped to reconnoitre, and could still see the faint 
outline of the cruiser crawling (propelled, probably, 
only by the wind) slowly into the darkness, leaving 
the way open to us, of which we at once took 



98 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

advantage. It was now about one o'clock in tlie 
morning ; our lead, and an observation of a friendly 
star told us, that we were rapidly nearing the shore. 
But it was so fearftdly dark, that it seemed almost 
hopeless ever to find our way to the entrance of the 
river, and no one felt comfortable. Still we steamed 
slowly on and shortly made out a small glimmer of 
a light right ahead. We eased steam a little, and 
cautiously approached. 

As we got nearer, we could make out the outline 
of a vessel lying at anchor, head to wind, and con- 
jectured that this must be the senior officer's vessel, 
which we were told generally lay about two miles 
and a half from the river's mouth, and which was 
obliged to show some sort of light to the cruisers 
that were constantly under weigh right and left of 
her. The plan of finding out this light, and using it 
as a guide to the river's entrance, being shortly after 
this time discovered, the vessel that carried it was 
moved into a different position every night, whereby 
several blockade-runners came to grief. 

Feeling pretty confident now of our position, we 
went on again at full speed, and made out clearly the 
line of blockaders lying to the right and left of the 
ship which showed the light ; all excepting her being 
apparently under weigh. Seeing an opening between 



BLOCKADE-RUNNING 99 

the vessel at anchor and the one on her left, we 
made a dash, and, thanks to our disguise and great 
speed, got through without being seen, and made the 
most of our way towards the land. As a strong 
current runs close inshore which is constantly 
changing its course, and there were no lights or land- 
marks to guide us, it was a matter of great difficulty 
to find the very narrow entrance to the river. 

We were now nearly out of danger from cruisers, 
who seldom ventured very close inshore in the vicinity 
of the batteries ; and our pilot, who had been through- 
out the voyage in bodily fear of an American prison, 
began to wake up, and, after looking well round, 
fcold us that he could make out, over the long line of 
surf, a heap of sand called ' the mound,' which was a 
mark for going into the river. 

This good news emboldened us to show a small 
light from the inshore side of the vessel ; it was 
promptly answered by two lights being placed a 
short distance apart on the beach, in such a position 
that, when the two were brought into line, or, as the 
sailors call it, into one, the vessel would be in the 
channel which led into the river. This being done 
without interruption from the cruisers, we steamed 
in and anchored safely under the batteries of Fort 
Fisher. 



loo SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Being now perfectly safe, liglits were at once 
lit, supper and grog served out ad libitum j everybody 
congratulated everybody, and a feeling of comfort 
and jollity, such as can only be experienced after three 
nights' and three days' intense anxiety, possessed us 
all. On the morning breaking we counted twenty-five 
cruisers lying as near as they dared venture off the 
river's mouth, and a very pleasant sight it was, 
situated as we were. There was evidently a move 
among them of an unusual kind; for the smaller 
vessels were steaming in towards the shore on the 
north side, and the ships' launches, with guns in 
their bows, were pulling about from vessel to vessel. 
The cause of it as day advanced was but too apparent. 

Just out of range of Fort Fisher's heavy artillery, 
on the north side of the river's entrance, a splendid 
paddle-wheel blockade-runner was lying on the beach, 
having been run on shore during the night to avoid 
capture. 

Her crew had evidently escaped to the shore, 
and a smouldering smoke showed that she had been 
set fire to, and that a little wind was all that was 
necessary to make the flames break out. The block- 
ading ships do not appear to have been aware of the 
damage they had done till daylight discovered the 
vessel that they probably thought had either got 



BLOCKADE-R UNNING lor 

into the river or escaped to sea, lying on the beach. 
However, they were not slow in making preparations 
for capturing her, if possible. 

Meanwhile, two of the crew of the blockade- 
runner managed to get on board of her, and setting 
her on fire in a dozen difierent places, everything in 
the vessel was soon destroyed, and her red-hot sides 
made boarding an impossibility. 

So the gunboats retired out of range, and the 
artillery with the Whitworth guns returned to Fort 
Fisher. The shell of this vessel lay for months on 
the beach and was by no means a bad mark for the 
blockade-runners to steer by. 

Having witnessed this little bit of excitement 
and received on board the crew of the stranded 
vessel, we took a pilot on board and steamed up the 
Cape Clear river to Wilmington. 

It will be difficult to erase from my memory the 
excitement of the evening we made our little craft 
fast alongside the quay at Wilmington; the con- 
gratulations we received, the champagne cocktail 
we imbibed, the eagerness with which we gave and 
received news, the many questions we asked, such 
as, * How long shall we be unloading ? ' ' Was our 
cargo of cotton ready ? ' ' How many bales could 
we carry ? ' ' How other blockade-runners had 



I02 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

fared ? ' &c. ; and the visits from thirsty and hungry 
Southerners of all ranks and denominations, many of 
whom had not tasted alcohol in any form for months, 
to whom whatever they liked to eat or drink was 
freely given, accompanied by congratulations on all 
sides. All these things, combined with the delightful 
feeling of security from capture, and the glorious 
prospect of a good night's rest in a four-poster, wound 
one up into an inexpressible state of jollity. If some 
of us had a little headache in the morning, surely it 
was small blame to us. Our host's cocktails, made 
of champagne bitters and pounded ice, soon put all 
things to rights; and after breakfast we lounged 
down to the quays on the river-side, which Were piled 
mountains high with cotton-bales and tobacco tierces, 
and mixed in the lively and busy scene of discharging, 
selling, and shipping cargoes. 



CHAPTER XI. 

EXCITING ADVENTURES. 

1 MAY now, I trust, without appearing egotis- 
tical, digress slightly from the narrative to give an 
account of how I managed with my own private 
venture, which I had personally to attend to ; for it 
is scarcely necessary to mention that in blockade- 
running everyone must look after himself. If he 
does not his labour will have been in vain. 

Before leaving England I had met a Southern 
lady, who, on my inquiring as to what was most needed 
by her compatriots in the beleaguered States, replied 
curtly : * Corsages, sir, I reckon.' So I determined 
to buy a lot of the articles she referred to, and on 
arriving at Glasgow (the port from which we origi- 
nally started) I visited an emporium that seemed to 
contain everything in the world ; and I astonished 
a young fellow behind the counter by asking for 
a thousand pairs of stays. Such an unusual re- 



I04 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

quest sent him off like a rocket to higher authority, 
with whom I made a bargain for the article re- 
quired at one shilling and a penny per pair, to 
be delivered the next day. At the same time I 
bought five hundred boxes of Cockle's pills, and a 
quantity of toothbrushes. "Well, here I was in 
Wilmington, with all these valuables on my hands ; 
the corsages were all right, but the horrid little 
Cockles were bursting their casements and tumbling 
about my cabin in all directions. I was anxious, 
with the usual gallantry of my cloth, to supply the 
wants of the ladies first. The only specimens of the 
sex that I could see moving about were coloured 
women, who were so little encumbered with dress 
that I began to think I was mistaken in the article 
recommended by my lady friend as being the most 
required out here. After waiting some time, and no 
one coming to bid for my ware, I was meditating 
putting up on the ship's side a large board with the 
name of the article of ladies' dress written on it — a 
pillbox for a crest, and toothbrushes as supporters — 
when an individual came on board and inquired 
whether I wished Ho trade.' I greedily seized 
upon him, took him into my retreat, and made him 
swallow three glasses of brandy in succession, after 
which we commenced business. 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 105 

I will not trouble my reader with the way in 
which we traded ; regarding the corsages, suffice it 
to say that he bought them all at what seemed to me 
the enormous price of twelve shillings each, giving 
me a profit of nearly eleven hundred per cent. 

On my asking where the fair wearers of the 
article he had bought could be seen, he told me that 
all the ladies had gone into the interior. I hope 
they found my importations useful ; they certainly 
were not ornamental. 

Elated as I was by my success, I did not forget 
the Cockles, and gently insinuated to my now some- 
what excited friend that we might do a little more 
trading. To my disgust he told me that he had 
never heard of such a thing as Cockle's pills. I 
strongly urged him to try half-a-dozen, assuring him 
that if he once experienced their invigorating effects 
he would never cease to recommend them. But the 
ignorant fellow didn't seem to see it ; for, finishing 
his brandy and buttoning up his pockets, he walked 
on shore. I never thought of naming toothbrushes, 
for what could a man who had never heard of Cockles 
know of the luxury of toothbrushes ? So I sat 
quietly down, and began to sum up my profits on the 
corsages, 

I was deeply engaged in this occupation when 



io6 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. Turning round 
I saw my friend the trader, who, after having 
smothered my boot in tobacco -juice, said, 'I say, 
captain, have you got any coffin-screws on trade ? ' 
His question rather staggered me, but he explained 
that they had no possible way of making this 
necessary article in the Southern States, and that 
they positively could not keep the bodies quiet in 
their coffins without them, especially when being sent 
any distance for interment. As I had no acquaint- 
ance, I am happy to say, with the sort of thing he 
wanted, it was agreed upon between us that I should 
send to England for a quantity, he, on his part, pro- 
mising an enormous profit on their being delivered. 

I cannot help remarking on the very great in- 
convenience and distress that were entailed on the 
South through the want of almost every description 
of manufacture. The Southern States, having always 
been the producing portion of the Union, had trusted 
to the North and to Europe for its manufactures. 
Thus, when they were shut out by land and by sea 
from the outer world, their raw material was of but 
little service to them. This fact tended, more than 
is generally believed, to weaken the Southern people 
in the glorious struggle they made for what they 
called and believed to be their rights, — a struggle, 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 107 

the horrors of which are only half understood by 
those who were not eye-witnesses of it. Whether 
the cause was good, whether armed secession was 
justifiable or not, is a matter regarding which opinions 
difier. But it is undeniable that all fought and 
endured in a manner worthy of a good and a just 
cause, and many were thoroughly and conscientiously 
convinced it was so. Such men as Lee, Stonewall 
Jackson, and others would never have joined any 
cause against their convictions ; but it won't do for 
a blockade-runner to attempt to moralise. So to 
return to my story. 

My readers will be desirous of knowing what 
was the result of my speculation in Cockles and 
toothbrushes. Kegarding the former, I am sorry to 
say that all my endeavours to induce my Southern 
friends to try their efficacious powers were of no 
avail, so I determined to take them with me to 
Nassau (if I could get there), thinking that I might 
find a market at a place where everyone was bilious 
from over eating and drinking, on the strength of 
the fortunes they were making by blockade-running ; 
and there I found an enterprising druggist who gave 
me two chests of lucifer matches in exchange for 
my Cockles, which matches I ultimately sold in the 
Confederacy at a very fair profit. My toothbrushes 



io8 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

being not in the slightest degree appreciated at 
Wilmington, I sent tliem to Richmond , where they 
were sold at about seven times their cost. 

So ended my speculation. The vessel's cargo 
consisted of blankets, shoes, Manchester goods of all 
sorts, and some mysterious cases marked ^ hardware,' 
about which no one asked any questions, but which 
the military authorities took possession of. This 
cargo was landed, and preparations made for taking 
on board the paying article in this trade, namely, 
cotton. 

I never bought it in any quantity, but I know 
that the price in the Southern States averaged from 
twopence to threepence a pound, the price in Liver- 
pool at that time being about half-a-crown. 

We were anxious to try the luck of our run- 
out before the moon got powerful, so the cargo was 
shipped as quickly as possible. In the first place, 
the hold was stored by expert stevedores, the cotton- 
bales being so closely packed that a mouse could 
hardly find room to hide itself among them. The 
hatches were put on, and a tier of bales put fore and 
aft in every available spot on the deck, leaving open- 
ings for the approaches to the cabins, engine-room, 
and the men's forecastle ; then another somewhat 
thinner tier on the top of that, after which a few 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 109 

bales for tlie captain and officers, those uncontrollable 
rascals whom the poor agents could not manage, and 
the cargo was complete. Loaded in this way, the 
vessel with only her foremast up, with her bow-fun- 
nel, and grey-painted sides, looked more like a huge 
bale of cotton with a stick placed upright at one end 
of it, than anything else I can think of. One 

bale for , and still one more for (I never 

tell tales out of school), and all was ready. 

We left the quay at Wilmington cheered by the 
hurrahs of our brother blockade-runners, who were 
taking in and discharging their cargoes, and steamed 
a short distance down the river, when we were 
boarded to be searched and smoked. This latter extra- 
ordinary proceeding, called for perhaps by the existing 
state of affairs, took me altogether aback. That a 
smoking apparatus should be applied to a cargo of 
cotton seemed almost astounding. But so it was 
ordered, the object being to seach for runaways, and, 
strange to say, its efficacy was apparent, when, after an 
hour or more's application of the process (which was 
by no means a gentle one), an unfortunate wretch, 
crushed almost to death by the closeness of his hiding- 
place, poked with a long stick till his ribs must have 
been like touchwood, and smoked the colour of a 
backwood Indian, was dragged by the heels into the 



no SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

dayliglitj ignominiously put into irons, and hurled 
into the guard-boat. This discovery nearly caused 
the detention of the vessel on suspicion of our being 
the accomplices of the runaway ; but after some de- 
liberation, we were allowed to go on. 

Haviug steamed down the river a distance of 
about twenty miles, we anchored at two o'clock in 
the afternoon near its mouth. We were hidden by 
Fort Fisher from the blockading squadron lying off 
the bar, there to remain till some time after nightfall. 
After anchoring we went on shore to take a peep at 
the enemy from the batteries. Its commandant, a 
fine, dashing young Confederate officer, who was a 
firm friend to blockade-runners, accompanied us 
round the fort. We counted twenty-five vessels 
under weigh ; some of them occasionally ventured 
within range ; but no sooner had one of them done 
80, than a shot was thrown so unpleasantly near that 
she at once moved out again. 

We were much struck with the weakness of 
Fort Fisher, which, with a garrison of twelve hundred 
men, and only half finished, could have been easily 
taken at any time since the war began by a resolute 
body of five thousand men making a night attack. It 
is true that at the time of its capture it was somewhat 
stronger than at the time I visited it, but even then 



EXCITING ADVENTURES iii 

its garrison was comparatively small, and its defences 
unfinished. I fancy tlie bold front so long sliown 
by its occupiers had much to do with the fact that 
such an attack was not attempted till just before the 
close of the war. The time chosen for our starting 
was eleven o'clock, at which hour the tide was at its 
highest on the bar at the entrance of the river. 
Fortunately the moon set about ten, and as it was 
very cloudy, we had every reason to expect a pitch- 
dark night. There were two or three causes that 
made one rather more nervous on this occasion than 
when leaving Bermuda. 

In the first place, five minutes after we had 
crossed the bar, we should be in the thick of the 
blockaders, who always closed nearer in on the very 
dark nights. Secondly, our cargo of cotton was of 
more importance than the goods we had carried in ; 
and thirdly, it was the tJdng to do to make the double 
trip in and out safely. There were also all manner of 
reports of the new plans that had been arranged by 
a zealous commodore lately sent from New York to 
catch us all. However, it was of no use canvassing 
these questions, so at a quarter to eleven we weighed 
anchor and steamed down to the entrance of the 
river. 

Very faint lights, which could not be seen far 



112 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

at sea, were set on tlie beach in tlie same position as 
I liave before described, having been thus placed for 
a vessel coming in ; and bringing these astern in an 
exact line, that is the two into one, we knew that we 
were in the passage for going over the bar. The 
order was then given, * Full speed ahead,' and we 
shot at a great speed out to sea. 

Our troubles began almost immediately ; for the 
cruisers had placed a rowing barge, which could not 
be seen by the forts, close to the entrance, to signalise 
the direction which any vessel that came out might 
take. This was done by rockets being thrown up 
by a designed plan from the barge. We had hardly 
cleared the bar when we saw this boat very near our 
bows, nicely placed to be run clean over, and as 
we were going about fourteen knots, her chance of 
escape would have been small had we been inclined to 
finish her. Changing the helm, which I did myself, 
a couple of spokes just took us clear. We passed 
so close that I could have dropped a biscuit into 
the boat with ease. I heard the crash of broken oars 
against our sides ; not a word was spoken. 

I strongly suspect every man in that boat held 
his breath till the great white avalanche of cotton, 
rushing by so unpleasantly near, had passed quite 
clear of her. 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 113 

However, they seemed very soon to liave recovered 
themselves, for a minute had scarcely passed before 
up went a rocket, which I thought a very ungrateful 
proceeding on their part. But they only did their 
duty, and perhaps they did not know how nearly they 
had escaped being made food for fishes. On the 
rocket being thrown up, a gun was fired uncommonly 
close to us, but as we did not hear any shot, it may 
have been only a signal to the cruisers to keep a sharp 
look-out. 

We steered a mile or two near the coast, always 
edging a little to the eastward, and then shaped our 
course straight out to sea. Several guns were fired 
in the pitch-darkness very near us. (I am not quite 
sure whether some of the blockaders did not 
occasionally pepper each other.) After an hour's fast 
steaming, we felt moderately safe, and by the morning 
had a good offing. 

Daylight broke with thick, hazy weather, nothing 
being in sight. We went on all right till half-past 
eight o'clock, when the weather cleared up, and there 
was a large paddle-wheel cruiser (that we must have 
passed very near to in the thick weather) about six 
miles astern of us. The moment she saw us she gave 
chase. After running for a quarter of an hour it 
was evident that with our heavy cargo on board, the 
6 



114 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

cruiser tad the legs of us^ and as there was a long 
day before us for the chase, things looked badly. We 
moved some cotton aft to immerse our screws well ; 
but still the cruiser was steadily decreasing her 
distance from us, when an incident of a very curious 
nature favoured us for a time. 

It is mentioned in the book of sailing directions, 
that the course of the Gulf Stream (in the vicinity of 
which we knew we were) is in calm weather and 
smooth water plainly marked out by a ripple on its 
inner and outer edges. We clearly saw, about a 
mile ahead of us, a remarkable ripple, which we 
rightly, as it turned out, conjectured was that 
referred to in the book. As soon as we had crossed 
it, we steered the usual course of the current of the 
Gulf Stream, that here ran from two to three miles 
an hour. Seeing us alter our course, the cruiser did 
the same ; but she had not crossed the ripple on the 
edge of the stream, and the course she was now 
steering tended to keep her for some time from doing 
so. The result soon made it evident that the 
observations in the book were correct ; for until she 
too crossed the ripple into the stream, we dropped 
her rapidly astern, whereby we increased our distance 
to at least seven miles. 

It was now noon, from which time the enemy 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 115 

again began to close with us, and at five o'clock was 
not more than three miles distant. At six o'clock 
she opened a harmless fire with the Parrot gun in 
her bow, the shot falling far short of us. The sun 
set at a quarter to seven, by which time she had got 
so near that she managed to send two or three shots 
over us, and was steadily coming up. 

Luckily, as night came on, the weather became 
very cloudy, and we were on the dark side of the 
moon, now setting in the West, which occasionally 
breaking through the clouds astern of the cruiser, 
showed us all her movements, while we must have 
been very difficult to make out, though certainly not 
more than a mile off. All this time she kept firing 
away, thinking, I suppose, that she would frighten 
us into stopping. If we had gone straight on, we 
should doubtless have been caught; so we altered 
our course two points to the eastward. After 
steaming a short distance we stopped quite still, 
blowing off steam under water, not a spark or the 
slightest smoke showing from the funnel; and we 
had the indescribable satisfaction of seeing our enemy 
steam past us, still firing ahead at some imaginaiy 
vessel. 

This had been a most exciting chase and a very 
narrow escape ; night only saved us from a New York 



I £6 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

prison. All tLis hard running had made an awful 
hole in our coal-bunkers, and as it was necessary to 
keep a stock for a run off the blockaded Bahama 
Islands, we were obliged to reduce our expenditure 
to as small a quantity as possible. However we were 
well out to sea, and after having passed the line of 
cruisers between Wilmington and Bermuda, we had 
not much to fear till we approached the British 
possessions of Nassau and the adjacent islands, where 
two or three very fast American vessels were cruising, 
although five hundred miles from American waters. 
I am ignorant, I confess, of the laws of blockade, or 
indeed if a law there be that allows its enforcement, 
and penalties to be enacted, five hundred miles 
away from the ports blockaded. But it did seem 
strange that the men-of-war of a nation at peace 
with England should be allowed to cruise off her 
ports, to stop and examine trading vessels of all 
descriptions, to capture and send to New York, for 
adjudication, vessels on the mere suspicion of their 
being intended blockade-runners ; and to chase and 
fire into real blockade-runners so near to the shore 
that on one occasion the shot and shell fell into a 
fishing village, and that within sight of an English 
man-of-war lying at anchor in the harbour at Nassau. 
Surely it is time that some well-understood laws 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 117 

should be made, and rules laid down, or such doings 
will sooner or later recoil on their authors. 

Having so little coal on board, we determined 
on making for the nearest point of the Bahama 
Islands, and luckily reached a queer little island 
called Green Turtle Quay, on the extreme north of 
the group, where was a small English colony, without 
being seen by the cruisers. We had not been there 
long, however, before one of them came sweeping 
round the shore, and stopped unpleasantly near to 
us ; even though we were inside the rock she hovered 
about outside, not a mile from us. 

We were a tempting bait, but a considerable 
risk to snap, and I suppose the American captain 
could not quite make up his mind to capture a vessel 
(albeit a blockade-runner piled full of cotton) lying 
in an English port, insignificant though that port 
might be. We had got a large white English ensign 
hoisted on a pole, thereby showing the nationality of 
the rock, should the cruiser be inclined to question 
it. After many longing looks, she steamed slowly 
away, much to our satisfaction. Coals were sent to 
us from Nassau the next day, which having been 
taken on board, we weighed anchor, keeping close to 
the reefs and islands all the way. We steamed 
towards that port, and arrived safely, having made 



ii8 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

the in-and-out voyage, including tlie time in unload- 
ing and loading at Wilmington, in sixteen days. 

To attempt to describe at length, the state of 
things at this usually tranquil and unfrequented little 
spot is beyond my powers. I will only mention 
some of its most striking features. Nassau differed 
much from Wilmington, inasmuch as at the latter 
place there was a considerable amount of poverty and 
distress, and men's minds were weighted with many 
troubles and anxieties; whereas, at Nassau, every- 
thing at the time I speak of was couleur de rose. 
Every one seemed prosperous and happy. You met 
with calculating, far-seeing men who were steadily 
employed in feathering their nests, let the war in 
America end as it might ; others who, in the height 
of their enthusiasm for the Southern cause, put their 
• last farthing into Confederate securities, anticipating 
enormous profits ; some men, careless and thoughtless, 
living for the hour, were spending their dollars as 
fast as they made them, forgetting that they would 
'never see the like again.' There were rollicking 
captains and officers of blockade-runners, and 
drunken swaggering crews ; sharpers looking out for 
victims ; Yankee spies ; and insolent worthless free 
niggers — all these combined made a most hetero- 
geneous, though interesting, crowd. 



EXCITING ADVENTURES 119 

The inliabitants of Kassau, who, until the period 
of blockade-running, had, with some exceptions, sub- 
sisted on a precarious and somewhat questionable 
livelihood gained by wrecking, had their heads as 
much turned as the rest of the world. Living was 
exorbitantly dear, as can be well imagined, when 
the captain of a blockade-runner could realise in a 
month a sum as large as the Governor's salary. The 
expense of living was so great that the officers of the 
West India regiment quartered here had to apply 
for special allowance, and I believe their application 
was successful. The hotel, a large building, hitherto 
a most ruinous speculation, began to realise enormous 
profits. In fact, the almighty dollar was spent as 
freely as the humble cent had been before this golden 
era in the annals of Nassau. 

As we had to stay here till the time for the 
dark nights came round again, we took it easy, and 
thoroughly enjoyed all the novelty of the scene. 
Most liberal entertainment was provided free by 
our owner's agent, and altogether we found Nassau 
very jolly : so much so, that we felt almost sorry 
when Hime' was called, and we had to prepare for 
another run. In fact, it was pleasanter in blockade- 
running to look backwards than forwards, especially 
if one had been so far in good luck. 



I20 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 



CHAPTER XIL 

A VISIT TO CHARLESTON. 

All being ready, we steamed out of Nassau harbour, 
and were soon again in perilous waters. We bad a 
distant cbase now and tben — a mere child's play to us 
after our experience — and on the third evening of our 
voyage we were pretty well placed for making a run 
through the blockading squadron as soon as it was 
dark. As the moon rose at twelve o'clock, it was 
very important that we should get into port before 
she threw a light upon the subject. 

Unfortunately, we were obliged to alter our 
course or stop so often to avoid cruisers that we ran 
our time too close ; for, as we were getting near to 
the line of blockade, a splendid three-quarter-size 
moon rose, making everything as clear as day. 
Trying to pass through the line of vessels ahead 
with such a bright light shining would have been 
madness; in fact, it was dangerous to be moving 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 121 

about at all in Buch clear weather, so we steamed 
towards tlie land on tlie extreme left of tlie line of 
cruisers, and having made it out, went quite close 
inshore and anchored. 

By lying as close as we dare to the beach, we 
must have had the appearance of forming part of 
the low sand-hills, which were about the height and 
colour of the vessel ; the wood on their tops forming 
a background which hid the small amount of funnel 
and mast that showed above the decks. We must 
have been nearly invisible, for we had scarcely been 
an hour at anchor when a gun-boat came steaming 
along the shore very near to the beach ; and while 
we were breathlessly watching her, hoping that she 
would go past, she dropped anchor alongside of us, 
a little outside where we were lying— so close that 
we not only heard every order that was given on 
board, but could almost make out the purport of the 
ordinary conversation of the people on her decks. 
A pistol shot would have easily reached us. Our 
position was most unpleasant, to say the least of it. 
We could not stay where we were, as it only wanted 
two hours to daybreak. If we had attempted to 
weigh anchor, we must have been heard doing so. 
However, we had sufficient steam at command to 
make a run for it. So, after waiting a little to allow 



122 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

the cruiser's fires to get low, we knocked tke pin 
out of tke shackle of the chain on deck, and easing 
the cable down into the water, went ahead with one 
engine and astern with the other, to turn our vessel 
round head to seaward. 

Imagine our consternation when, as she turned, 
she struck the shore before coming half round (she 
had been lying with her head inshore, so now it was 
pointed along the beach, luckily in the right direc- 
tion, i.e. lying from the cruiser). There was nothing 
lefb to us but to put on full speed, and if possible 
force her from the obstruction, which after two or 
three hard bumps we succeeded in doing. 

After steaming quite close to the beach for a 
little way, we stopped to watch the gun-boat, which, 
after resting for an hour or so, weighed anchor and 
steamed along the beach in the opposite direction to 
the way we had been steering, and was soon out of 
sight. So we steamed a short distance inshore and 
anchored again. It would have been certain capture to 
have gone out to sea just before daybreak, so we made 
the little craft as invisible as possible, and remained 
all the next day, trusting to our luck not to be seen. 
And our luck favoured us ; for, although we saw 
several cruisers at a distance, none noticed us, wluch 
seems almost miraculous. 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 123 

Thus passed Christmas Day, 1863, and an anxious 
day it was to all of us. We might have landed our 
cargo where we were lying, but it would have been 
landed in a dismal swamp, and we should have been 
obliged to go into Wilmington for our cargo of cotton. 

When night closed in we weighed anchor and 
steamed to the entrance of the river, which, from our 
position being so well defined, we had no difficulty 
in making out. We received a broadside from a 
savage little gun-boat quite close inshore, her shot 
passing over us, and that was all. We got comfort- 
ably to the anchorage about half-past eleven o'clock, 
and so ended our second journey in. 

I determined this time to have a look at 
Charleston, which was then undergoing a lengthened 
and destructive siege. So, after giving over my 
craft into the hands of the owner's representatives, 
who would unload and put her cargo of cotton on 
board, I took my place in the train and, after passing 
thirty-six of the most miserable hours in my life 
travelling the distance of one hundred and forty 
miles, I arrived at the capital of South Carolina, or 
rather near to that city — for the train, disgusted I 
suppose with itself, ran quietly off the line about two 
miles from the station into a meadow. The passengers 
seemed perfectly contented, and shouldering their 



124 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

baggage walked off into the town. I meclianically 
followed with my portmanteau, and in due course 
arrived at the only hotel, where I was informed I 
might have half a room. 

' Acting on a hint I received from a black waiter 
that food was being devoured in the coffee-room, and 
that if I did not look out for myself I should have to 
do without that essential article for the rest of the 
day, I hurried into the salle-d-manger, where two 
long tables were furnished with all the luxuries then 
to be obtained in Charleston, which luxuries consisted 
of lumps of meat supposed to be beef, boiled Indian 
corn, and I think there were the remains of a 
feathered biped or two, to partake of which I was 
evidently too late. All these washed down with 
water, or coffee without sugar, were not very tempt- 
ing ; but human nature must be supported, so to it I 
set, and having swallowed a sufficient quantity of 
animal food, I went off to my room to take a pull at 
a bottle of brandy which I had sagaciously stored 
in my carpet-bag. But, alas! for the morals of 
the beleaguered city. I found, on arriving there, a 
nigger extended at full length in happy oblivion on 
the floor, with the few clothes I had with me forming 
his pillow, and the brandy bottle rolling about along- 
side of him, empty. 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 125 

I first of all hammered his head against the 
floor, but the floor had the worst of it ; then I kicked 
his shins (the only vulnerable part of a nigger), but 
it was of no use ; so pouring the contents of a water 
jug over him, in the hope that I might thus cause 
awful dreams to disturb his slumbers, I left him, 
voting myself a muff for leaving the key in my 
box. 

Having letters of introduction to some of General 
Beauregard's staff, I made my way to headquarters, 
where I met with the greatest courtesy and kindness. 
An orderly was sent with me to show me the top of the 
tower, a position that commanded a famous view of 
the besieging army, the blockading squadron, and 
all the defences of the place. A battery had just 
been placed by the enemy (consisting of five Parrot 
guns of heavy calibre) five miles from the town, 
and that day had opened fire for the first time. At 
that enormous range the shell occasionally burst 
over or fell into the city, doing, however, little 
damage. The elevation of the guns must have been 
unusually great. I am told that every one of them 
burst after a week's, or thereabouts, firing. Poor 
Fort Sumter was nearly silenced after many months' 
hammering, but its brave defenders remained in it 
to the last, and it was not till a few days before 



126 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Charleston was abandoned that they gave it up. At 
the time I speak of the whole of the western beach 
was in the hands of the enemy, Battery Wagner 
having succumbed after one of the most gallant 
defences on record. While it remained in the hands 
of the Southerners it assisted Fort Sumter, inasmuch 
as from its position it kept the enemy at a distance, 
but after its capture, or rather destruction, the latter 
fort was exposed to a tremendous fire from ships and 
batteries, and its solid front was terribly crumbled. 

Surrounded, however, with water as it was, it 
would have been most difficult to take by assault ; 
and from what I could learn, certain destruction 
would have met any body of men who had attempted 
it latterly. There it stood, sulkily firing a shot or 
shell now and then, more out of defiance than anything 
else. The blockading, or rather bombarding, squadron 
was lying pretty near to it on the western side of 
the entrance to the harbour ; but on the east side, 
formidable batteries belonging to the Southerners 
kept them at a respectable distance. Blockade- 
running into Charleston was quite at an end at the 
time I am writing about. Not that I think the 
cruisers could have kept vessels from getting in, but 
for the reason that the harbour was a perfect net- 
work of torpedoes and infernal machines (the passage 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 127 

through whicli was only known to a few persons), 
placed by the Southerners to prevent the Northern 
fleet from approaching the city. 

Having had a good look at the positions of the 
attacking and defending parties, I went down from 
the tower and paid a visit to a battery where two 
Blakely guns of heavy calibre, that had lately been 
run through the blockade in the well-known 
* Sumter ' (now the * Gibraltar '), were mounted. 
These guns threw a shot of 720 lbs. weight, and were 
certainly masterpieces of design and execution. Un- 
happily, proper instructions for loading had not 
accompanied them from England, and on the occasion 
of the first round being fired from one of them, the 
gun not being properly loaded, cracked at the breech, 
and was rendered useless ; the other, however, did 
good service, throwing shot with accuracy at great 
distances. I saw much that was interesting here, 
but more able pens than mine have already described 
ftdly the details of that long siege, where on one 
hand all modern appliances of war that ingenuity could 
conceive or money purchase were put into the hands 
of brave and determined soldiers ; on the other hand 
were bad arms, bad powder, bad provisions, bad 
everything ; desperate courage and unheard-of self- 
denial being all the Southerners had to depend upon. 



128 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

These poor Southerners never began to open 
their eyes to the hopelessness of their cause till Sher- 
man's almost unopposed march showed the weakness 
of the whole country. Even strangers like myself 
were so carried away with the enthusiasm of the 
moment, that we shut our eyes to what should have 
been clearly manifest to us. We could not believe 
that men who were fighting and enduring as these 
men were could ever be beaten. Some of their 
leaders must have foreseen that the catastrophe was 
coming months before it occurred ; but, if they did 
so, they were afraid to make their opinion public. 

On returning to the hotel, I found it full of 
people of all classes indulging in tobacco (the only 
solace left them) in every form. It is all very well to 
say that smoking is a vile habit ; so it may be, when 
indulged in by luxurious fellows who eat and drink 
their full every day, and are rarely without a cigar or 
pipe in their mouths ; it may, perhaps, be justly said 
that such men abuse the use of the glorious narcotic 
supplied by Providence for men's consolation under 
difficulties. But when a man has hard mental and 
bodily work, and barely enough food to support 
nature, water being his only drink, then give him 
tobacco, and he will thoroughly appreciate it. Besides, 
it will do him real good. I think that at any time 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 129 

its use in moderation is harmless and often beneficial, 
but under the circumstances I speak of it is a luxury 
without price. 

During the evening I met at the hotel a Con- 
federate naval officer who was going to attempt that 
night to carry havoc among the blockading squadron 
by means of a cigar-shaped vessel of a very curious 
description. 

This vessel was a screw steamer of sixty feet in 
length, with eight feet beam. She lay, before being 
prepared for the important service on which she was 
going, with about two feet of her hull showing above 
the water, at each end of which, on the shoulder as 
it were of the cigar, was a small hatch or opening, 
just large enough to allow a man to pop through it : 
from her bows projected a long iron outrigger, at the 
end of which there was fixed a torpedo that would 
explode on coming into contact with a vessel's side. 

When the crew were on board, and had gone 
down into the vessel through one of the hatches above 
mentioned, the said hatches were firmly closed, and 
by arrangements that were made from the inside the 
vessel was sunk about six inches below the water, 
leaving merely a small portion of the funnel showing. 
Steam and smoke being got rid of below water, the 
vessel was invisible, torpedo and all being immersed. 



I30 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

The officer having thus described his vessel, 
wished me good-night, and started on his perilous 
enterprise. I met him again next evening quietly 
smoking his pipe. I eagerly asked him what he had 
done, when he told me with the greatest sang-froid 
that he had gone on board his vessel with a crew of 
seven men ; that everything for a time had gone like 
clockwork ; they were all snug below with hatches 
closed, the vessel was sunk to the required depth, and 
was steadily steaming down the harbour, apparently 
perfectly water-tight, when suddenly the sea broke 
through the foremost hatch and she went to the 
bottom immediately. He said he did not know how 
he escaped. He imagined that after the vessel had 
filled he had managed to escape through the aperture 
by which the water got in ; all the rest of the poor 
fellows were drowned. Not that my friend seemed 
to think anything of that, for human life was very 
little thought of in those times. This vessel was 
afterwards got up, when the bodies of her crew were 
still in her hold. I imagined that the vessel con- 
tained sufficient air to enable her to remain under 
water two or three hours, or maybe some method was 
practised by which air could be introduced by the 
funnel ; at all events, had she been successful on that 
night, she would undoubtedly have caused a good 



A VISIT TO CHARLESTON 131 

deal of damage and loss to the blockading squadron, 
wlio were constantly harassed by all sorts of infernal 
machines, torpedoes, fire- vessels, &c., which were 
sent out against them by ingenious Southerners, 
whose fertile imaginations were constantly conceiving 
some new invention. 

On the next occasion that same enterprising 
ofiicer was employed on a similar enterprise, his efforts 
were crowned with complete success. 

He started one dark night, in a submerged 
vessel of the same kind as that above described, and 
exploded the torpedo against the bows of one of the 
blockading squadron, doing so much damage that the 
vessel had to be run on shore to prevent her sinking. 

I must, before finishing my account of what I 
saw and did in Charleston, mention a circumstance 
that showed how little the laws of meum and tuum 
are respected during war times. The morning before 
I left, I had a fancy for having my coat brushed and 
my shoes polished. So having deposited these articles 
on a chair at the door of my room, I went to bed 
again to have another snooze, hoping to find them 
cleaned when I awoke. After an hour or so I got 
up to dress, and rang the bell several times without 
getting any answer. So I opened the door and 
looked out into the passage. To my surprise I saw 



132 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

an individual sitting on tlie chair on which I had 
put my clotheSj trying on one of my boots. He had 
succeeded in getting it half on when it had stuck, 
and at the time I discovered him he seemed to be 
in a fix, inasmuch as he could neither get the boot off 
nor on. He was struggling violently with my poor 
boot, as if it were his personal enemy, and swearing 
like a trooper. Not wishing to increase his ire, I 
blandly insinuated that the boots were mine, on 
which he turned his wrath towards me, making most 
unpleasant remarks, which he wound up by saying 
that in these times anything that a man could pick 
up lying about was his lawful property, and that he 
was astonished at my impudence in asking for the 
boots. However, as the darned things would not fit 
him ' no how,' he guessed I was welcome to them ; 
and giving a vicious tug to the boot to get it off, he 
succeeded in doing so, and I, picking it up with its 
fellow, made good my retreat. But where was my 
coat ? I could not get an echo of an answer, where ? 
So I went downstairs and told my piteous tale to the 
landlord, who laughed at my troubles, and told me 
he could not give me the slightest hopes of ever seeing 
it again ; but he offered to lend me a garment in 
which to travel to Wilmington, which ofier I gladly 
accepted. 



CHAPTER XIIL 

NEVER caught! 

On my return to Wilmington I found that my 
vessel was ready for sea, so I took charge of her, and 
we went down the river. 

We had to undergo the same ordeal as before 
in the way of being smoked and searched. This 
time there were no runaways discovered, but there 
was one on board for all that, who made his appear- 
ance, almost squashed to death, after we had been 
twenty-four hours at sea. We then anchored under 
Fort Fisher, where we waited until it was dark, after 
which, when the tide was high enough on the bar, 
we made a move and were soon rushing out to sea at 
full speed. There was a considerable swell running, 
which we always considered a point in our favour. 
By the way, writing of swells puts me in mind of a 
certain ' swell ' T had on board as passenger on this 
occasion, who, while in Wilmington, had been talking 



134 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

very big about ' hunting/ wbicb probably he sup- 
posed I knew nothing about. He used to give us 
long narratives of his own exploits in the hunting- 
field, and expatiated on the excitement of flying over 
ditches and hedges, while apparently he looked upon 
blockade-running and its petty risks with sublime con- 
tempt. Soon after we crossed the bar on our way out 
a gentle breeze and swell began to lift the vessel up 
and down, and this motion he described as Wery 
like hunting.' 

Just after he had ventured this remark, a Yankee 
gun-boat favoured us with a broadside and made a 
dash to cut us off. This part of the fun, however, 
my friend did not seem to think at all ' like hunting,' 
and after having strongly urged me to return to the 
anchorage under the protecting guns of the fort, he 
disappeared below, and never talked, to me at least, 
about hunting again. 

But to return to my story, there was, as I said 
before, a considerable swell running outside, which 
was fortunate for us, as we ran almost into a gun- 
boat lying watching unusually close to the bar. It 
would have been useless to turn round and endeavour 
to escape by going back, as, if we had done so, we 
should inevitably have been driven on to the beach, 
and either captured or destroyed. In such a predica- 



NEVER CAUGHT! 135 

inent tliere was nothing for it but to make a dash 
past and take the gun-boat's fire and its consequences. 
I knew we had the legs of her, and therefore felt 
more at ease in thus running the gauntlet than 
I otherwise should have done, so on we went at 
full speed. She fired her broadside at about fifty 
yards distance, but the shot all passed over us, 
except one that went through our funnel. The 
marines on board of her kept up a heavy fire of 
musketry as long as we were visible, but only slightly 
wounded one of our men. Rockets were then thrown 
up as signals to her consorts, two of which came 
down on us, but luckily made a bad guess at our 
position, and closed with us on our quarter instead 
of our bow. They also opened fire, but did us no 
injury. At the moment there was no vessel in sight 
ahead ; and as we were going at a splendid pace, we 
soon reduced our dangerous companions to three 
or four shadowy forms struggling astern without a 
hope of catching us. The signalising and firing had, 
however, brought several other blockaders down to 
dispute our passage, and we found ourselves at one 
moment with a cruiser on each side within a pistol 
shot of us ; our position being that of the meat in a 
sandwich. So near were the cruisers, that they 
seemed afraid to fire from the danger of hitting each 



136 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

other, and, thanks to our superior speed, we shot 
ahead and left them without their having fired a 
shot. 

Considering the heavy swell that was running, 
there was the merest chance of their hitting us ; in 
fact, to take a blockade-runner in the night, when 
there was a heavy swell or wind, if she did not choose 
to give in, was next to impossible. To run her down 
required the cruiser to have much superior speed, 
and was a dangerous game to play, for vessels have 
been known to go down themselves while acting that 
part. 

Then, again, it must be borne in mind that the 
blockade-runner had always full speed at command, 
her steam being at all times well up and every one 
on board on the look-out ; whereas the man-of-war 
must be steaming with some degree of economy and 
ease, and her look-out men had not the excitement 
to keep them always on the qui vive that we had. 

I consider that the only chances the blockading 
squadron had of capturing a blockade-runner were 
in the following instances ; viz., in a fair chase in 
daylight, when superior speed would tell, or chasing 
her on shore, or driving her in so near the beach 
that her crew were driven to set fire to her and 
make their escape ; in which case a prize might be 



NEVER CAUGHT! 137 

made, though perhaps of no great value; or frighten- 
ing a vessel by guns and rockets during the night 
into giving up. Some of the blockade-runners showed 
great pluck, and stood a lot of pitching into. About 
sixty-six vessels left England and New York to run 
the blockade during the four years' war, of which 
more than forty were destroyed by their own crews or 
captured ; but most of them made several runs before 
they came to grief, and in so doing paid well for 
their owners. 

I once left Bermuda, shortly before the end of 
the war, in company with four others, and was the 
only fortunate vessel of the lot. Of the other four, 
three were run on shore and destroyed by their 
own crews, and one was fairly run down at sea and 
captured. 

I saw an extraordinarily plucky thing done on 
one occasion, which I cannot refrain from narrating. 
We had made a successful run through the blockade, 
and were lying under Fort Fisher, when as daylight 
broke we heard a heavy firing, and as it got lighter 
we saw a blockade-runner surrounded by the cruisers. 
Her case seemed hopeless, but on she came for the 
entrance, hunted like a rabbit by no end of vessels. 
The guns of the fort were at once manned, ready to 
protect her as soon as her pursuers should come 
7 



138 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

within range. Every effort was made to cut her off 
from the entrance of the river, and how it was she 
was not sunk I cannot tell. As she came on we 
could see N , her commander, a well-known suc- 
cessful blockade-runner, standing on her paddle-box 
with his hat off, as if paying proper respect to the 
men-of-war. And now the fort opened fire at the 
chasing cruisers, from whom the blockade-runner 
was crawling, being by this time well inshore. One 
vessel was evidently struck, as she dropped out of 

range very suddenly. On came the ' Old J ,' 

one of the fastest boats in the trade, and anchored 
all right ; two or three shots in her hull, but no hurt. 
Didn't we cheer her ! the reason of her being in the 
position in which we saw her at daylight was that 
she had run the time rather short, and daylight broke 
before she could get into the river ; so that, instead 
of being there, she was in the very centre of the 
blockading fleet. Many men would have given in, 
but old N was made of different stuff. 

We got well clear of the cruisers before day- 
break, and keeping far out to sea, were unmolested 
duriug the run to Nassau, where we arrived safely 
with our second cargo of cotton, having this time 
been eighteen days making the round trip. 

Having made two round trips, we could afford 



NEVER CAUGHT t 139 

to take it easy for a short time, and as the dark 
nights would not come on for three weeks, we gave 
the little craft a thorough refit, hauling her up on a 
patent slip that an adventurous American had laid 
down especially for blockade-runners, and for the use 
of which we had to pay a price which would have 
astonished some of our large ship-owners. I may 
mention that blockade-runners always lived well ; 
may be acting on the principle that * good people 
are scarce * ; so we kept a famous table and drank 
the best of wine. An English man-of-war was lying 
in the harbour, whose officers frequently condescended 
to visit us, and whose mouths watered at what they 
saw and heard of the profits and pleasures of blockade- 
running. Indeed, putting on one side the sordid 
motives which I dare say to a certain extent actuated 
us, there was a thrilling and glorious excitement 
about the work, which would have well suited some 
of these gay young fellows. 

Time again came round too soon, and we had to 
start on another trip, and to tear ourselves away 
from all sorts of amusements, some of us from domestic 
ties : for there were instances of anxious wives who, 
having followed their husbands to the West Indies, 
vastly enjoyed all the novelty of the scene. These 
ladies had their pet ships, in whose captains they 



140 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

had confidence, and in whicli they sent private ven- 
tures into the Confederacy ; and in. tliis way some of 
them made a nice little addition to their pin-money. 
I don't know that any of them speculated in Cockle's 
pills or corsages, but I heard of one lady who sent in 
a large quantity of yellow soap, and made an enor- 
mous profit out of her venture. 

Having completed the necessary alterations and 
repairs, and made all snug for a fresh run, we 
started again from the port of Nassau. We had 
scarcely steamed along the coast forty miles from 
the mouth of the harbour, when we discovered 
a steamer bearing down on us, and we soon made 
her out to be a well-known, very fast Yankee 
cruiser, of whom we were all terribly afraid. As we 
were still in British waters, skirting the shore of the 
Bahamas, I determined not to change my course, but 
kept steadily on, always within a mile of the shore. 
On the man-of-war firing a shot across our bows as 
a signal for us to heave to, I hoisted the English 
colours and anchored. An American officer came on 
board, who, seeing unmistakable proofs of the occu- 
pation we were engaged in, seemed very mach inclined 
to make a prize of us ; but on my informing him that 
I claimed exemption from capture on the ground of 
the vessel being in British waters, he, after due 



NEVER CAUGHT! 141 

consideration, sulkily wished me good morning and 
went back to his ship. She continued to watch us 
till the middle of the night, when I imagine something 
else attracted her attention, and she steamed away. 
We, taking advantage of her temporary absence, 
weighed our anchor and were soon far out at sea. 

At the end of three days we had run into a 
position about sixty miles from Wilmington without 
any incident happening worth mentioning. On our 
nearing the blockading squadron at nightfall we 
heard a great deal of firing going on inshore, which 
we conjectured (rightly as it afterwards appeared) 
was caused by the American ships, who were chasing 
and severely handling a blockade-runner. An idea at 
once struck me, which I quickly put into execution. 
We steamed in as fast as we could, and soon made out 
a vessel ahead that was hurrying in to help her consorts 
to capture or destroy the contraband. We kept close 
astern of her, and in this position followed the cruiser 
several miles. She made signals continually by flash- 
ing different coloured lights rapidly from the paddle- 
boxes, the meaning of which I tried my best to make 
out, so that I might be able to avail myself of the 
knowledge of the blockade signals at some future 
time ; but I could not manage to make head or tail 
of them. 



142 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Suddenly the firing ceased, and our pioneer 
turned out to sea again. As we were by this time 
very near inshore, we stopped the engines and re- 
mained quite still, but unluckily could not make out 
our exact position. 

The blockading cruisers were evidently very 
close in, so we did not like moving about ; besides, 
the pilot was confident that we were close enough to 
the entrance of the river to enable us to run in when 
day broke, without being in any danger from the 
enemy. 

Thus for the remainder of the night we lay 
quite close to the beach. Unfortunately, however, 
about an hour before daylight we struck the shore, 
and all our efibrts to free the vessel were of no 
avail. 

As the day dawned we found that we were 
about a mile from Fort Fisher, and that two of the 
American vessels nearest the shore were about a mile 
from us when we first made them out, and were 
steaming to seaward, having probably been lying 
pretty near to the river's mouth during the darkness 
of the night. They were not slow to make us out in 
our unhappy position. I ordered the boats to be 
lowered, and gave every one on board the option of 
leaving the vessel, as it seemed evident that we were 



NEVER CAUGHT! 143 

doomed to be a bone of contention between tbe fort 
and the blockaders. All bands, bowever, stuck to 
the ship, and we set to work to b'ghten her as much 
as possible. Steam being got up to the highest 
pressure, the engines worked famously, but she would 
not move, and I feared the sand would get into the 
bilges. And now a confounded vessel deliberately 
tried the range with her Parrot gun, and the shot 
splashed alongside of us. Her fire, however, was 
promptly replied to by Fort Fisher. Tlie shot from 
the fort's heavy artillery passed right over and close 
to the cruiser, and made her move further out, and 
thus spoiled the accuracy of the range of our devoted 
little craft, which the man-of-war had so correctly 
obtained. We made a frantic effort to get off our 
sandy bed, and on all hands running from one ex- 
tremity of the vessel to the other, to our delight she 
slipped off into deep water. 

But our troubles were not yet over. To get 
into the river's mouth it was necessary to make a 
detour ,f to do which we had to steer out towards the 
blockading fleet for a quarter of a mile before we 
could turn to go into the river. While we were 
performing this somewhat ticklish manoeuvre. Fort 
Fisher most kindly opened a heavy fire from all its 
guns, and thus drew the attention of the blockaders 



144 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

from us. In twenty minutes from the time we got 
off we were safely at anchor under the Confederate 
batteries. The vessel that had been so hard chased 
and fired at during the night was lying safely at the 
anchorage, not very much damaged. 

This was by far the most anxious time we had 
gone through. We had to thank the commandant 
and garrison of Fort Fisher for our escape. Having 
paid our gallant rescuers a visit, we took a pilot on 
board and steamed up to Wilmington. Cape Clear 
river at this time was full of all sorts of torpedoes 
and obstructions, put down to prevent any gun-boats 
from approaching the town of Wilmington, should the 
forts at its entrance be taken possession of by the 
enemy. And as the whereabouts of these obstructions 
were only known to certain pilots, we had to be careful 
to have the right man on board. We got up in safety, 
and finding that our cargo of cotton was ready, made 
haste to unload and prepare for sea again as quickly 
as possible. 

There was nothing interesting in Wilmington, 
which is a large straggling town built on sand-hills. 
At the time I write of the respectable inhabitants 
were nearly all away from their homes, and the town 
was full of adventurers of all descriptions ; some who 
came to sell cotton, others to buy at enormous prices 



NEVER CAUGHT f 145 

European goods brought in by blockade-runners. 
These goods they took with them into the interior, 
and, adding a heavy percentage to the price, people 
who were forced to buy them paid most ruinous 
prices for the commonest necessaries of life. 

On this occasion we spent a very short time at 
Wilmington, and having taken our cargo of cotton, 
we went down the river to the old waiting place 
under the friendly batteries of Fort Fisher. We had 
scarcely anchored when a heavy fog came on ; as 
the tide for going over the bar did not suit till three 
o'clock in the morning, which I considered an awk- 
ward time, inasmuch as we should only have two 
hours of darkness left in which to get our offing from 
the land, I determined to go out in the fog and take 
my chance of the thick weather lasting. I calculated 
that if we had met with any cruisers, they would not 
have been expecting us, and so would have been 
under low steam. 

I was told by every one that I was mad to 
venture out, and all sorts of prognostications were 
made that I should come to grief, in spite of which 
omens of disaster, however, I went over the bar at four 
o'clock in the afternoon in a fog, through which I 
could hardly see from one end of the ship to the 
other, and took my chance. As we went on the fog 



146 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

seemed to get if possible still thicker, and through 
the night it was impossible for us to see anything or 
anything to see us. 

In the morning we had an offing of at least a 
hundred and twenty miles, and nothing was in sight. 
We made a most prosperous voyage, and arrived at 
Nassau safely in seventy-two hours, thus completing 
our third round trip. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

LAST DAYS ON THE * D N.' 

As no vessel had succeeded since the blockade 
was established in getting into Savannah (a large 
and flourishing town in Georgia, situated a few miles 
up a navigable river of the same name), where there 
was a famous market for all sorts of goods, and where 
plenty of the finest sea-island cotton was stored 
ready for embarkation, and as the southern port 
pilots were of opinion that all that was required to 
ensure success was an effort to obtain it, I undertook 
to try if we could manage to get the *D n' in. 

The principal difficulty we had to contend with 
was that the Northerners had possession of a large 
fortification called Pulaski, which, being situated at 
the entrance of the river, commanded the passage up 
to the town. 

To pass this place in the night seemed easy 
work enough, as it would be hard for the sentry to 



148 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

make a vessel out disguised as we were; but to 
avoid the shoals and sand-banks at the river's mouth, 
in a pitch-dark night, seemed to me, after carefiiUy 
studying the chart, to be a most difficult matter. 
This, however, was the pilot's business ; all we 
captains had to do was to avoid dangers from the 
guns of ships and forts ; or, if we could not avoid 
them, to stand being fired at. 

The pilot we had engaged was full of confidence ; 
so much BO, that he refused to have any payment 
for his services until he had taken us in and out 
safely. I may as well mention that there were few 
if any blockading vessels ofi" Savannah river, the 
Northerners having perfect confidence, I presume, 
in Fort Pulaski and the shoals which surrounded the 
entrance of the river being sufficient to prevent any 
attempt at blockade-running succeeding. The lights 
in the ship ojff Port Royal, a small harbour in the 
hands of the Northern Government, a few miles from 
the entrance to Savannah, were as bright as in the 
time of peace, and served as a capital guide to the 
river's mouth. After two days' run from Nassau we 
arrived without accident to within twenty miles of 
the low land through which the Savannah river runs, 
and at dark steered for the light-vessel lying off Port 
Royal. Having made it out, in fact steaming close 



LAST DAYS ON THE »Z> N' 



149 



up to it, we shaped our course for Fort Pulaski, 
using the light as a point of departure, the distance 
by the chart being twelve miles. We soon saw its 
outlines looming through the darkness ahead, and 
formidable though it looked, it caused me no anxiety, 
compared with the danger we seemed to be in from 
the shoalwater and breakers being all around us. 
However, the pilot who had charge of such matters 
seemed comfortable enough. 

So we went cautiously along, and in ten minutes 
would have been past danger, at all events from the 
batteries on the fort, when one of the severest storms 
I ever remember of wind and rain, accompanied 
by thunder and lightning, came on, and enveloped 
us in a most impenetrable darkness. Knowing 
that we were surrounded by most dangerous shoals, 
and being then in only fifteen feet water, I felt our 
position to be a very perilous one. The pilot had by 
this time pretty well lost his head ; in fact, it would 
have puzzled anyone to say where we were. So we 
turned round and steered out to sea again, by the 
same way we had come in ; and when we were as 
near as we could guess twenty miles from land, we 
let go our anchor in fifteen fathoms water. 

Then came on a heavy gale of wind accompanied 
by a thick fog, which lasted three days and nights. 



ISO SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

I never in my life passed sucli ail unpleasant time, 
rolling our gunnels under, knowing that we were 
drifting, our anchor having dragged, but in what 
direction it was difficult to judge ; unable to cook, 
through the sea we had shipped having put our 
galley-fire out ; and, worse than all, burning quantities 
of coal, as we had to keep steam always well up, 
ready for anything that might happen. 

One day it cleared up for half an hour about 
noon, and we managed to get meridian observations, 
which showed us that we had drifted thirty miles of 
latitude, but we still remained in ignorance of our 
longitude. On the fourth day the gale moderated, 
the weather cleared up, and we ascertained our 
position correctly by observations. 

^ When it was dark we steered for the light- 
vessel off Port Royal, meaning, as before, to make 
her our point of departure for the entrance of the 
river. But we went on and on, and we could not 
see the glimmer of a light or even anything of a 
vessel (we found out afterwards that the light-ship 
had been blown from her moorings in the gale). This 
was a nice mess. The pilot told us that to attempt 
to run for the entrance without having the bearings 
of the light to guide us would have been perfect 
madness. We had barely enough coals to take us 



LAST DAYS ON THE «Z? N' 151 

back to Nassau, and if we had remained dodging 
about, waiting for the light-vessel to be replaced, we 
should have been worse off for fuel, of which we had 
so little that if we had been chased on our way back 
we should certainly have been captured. 

So we started for Nassau, keeping well in shore 
on the Georgia and Florida coast. Along this coast 
there were many small creeks and rivers where 
blockade-running in small crafts, and even boats, 
was constantly carried on, and where the Northerners 
had stationed several brigs and schooners of war, 
who did the best they could to stop the traffic. Many 
an open boat has run over fi'om the northernmost 
island of the Bahamas group, a distance of fifty mUes, 
and returned with one or two bales of cotton, by which 
her crew were well remunerated. 

We had little to fear from sailing men-of-war, as 
the weather was calm and fine, so we steamed a few 
miles from the shore, all day passing several of them, 
just out of range of their guns. One vessel tried the 
efiect of a long shot, but we could afford to laugh 
at her. 

The last night we spent at sea was rather nervous 
work. We had reduced our coals to about three 
quarters of a ton, and had to cross the Gulf Stream 
at the narrow part between the Florida coast and the 



152 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Bahamas, a distance of twenty-eiglit miles, where 
the force of the current is four knots an hour. Our 
coals were soon finished. "We cut up the available 
spars, oars, &c., burnt a hemp cable (that by the 
way made a capital blaze), and just managed to 
fetch across to the extreme western end of the group 
of islands belonging to Great Britain, where we 

anchored. 

We couldn't have steamed three miles further. 
On the wild spot where we anchored there was for- 
tunately a small heap of anthracite coal, that probably 
had been part of the cargo of some wreck, of which 
we took as much as would carry us to Nassau, and 
arrived there safely. Thus the attempt to get into 
Savannah was a failure. It was tried once afterwards 
by a steamer which managed to get well past the fort, 
but which stuck on a sand-bank shortly after doing so, 
and was captured in the morning. 

It is not my intention to inflict on my readers 

any more anecdotes of my own doings in the ' D n ; ' 

suffice it to say that I had the good luck to make six 
round trips in her, in and out of Wilmington, and 
that I gave her over to the chief officer and went 
home to England with my spoils. On arriving at 
Southampton, the first thing I saw in the * Times ' 
was a paragraph headed, *The Capture of the 



LAST DAYS ON THE 'D N' 153 

* D n.' Poor little craft ! I learned afterwards 

how she was taken, which I will relate, and which 
will show that she died game. 

The officer to whom I gave over charge was as 
fine a specimen of a seaman as well can be imagined, 
plucky, cool, and determined, and by the way he was 
a bit of a medico, as well as a sailor ; for by his 
beneficial treatment of his patients we had very few 
complaints of sickness on board. As our small dis- 
pensary was close to my cabin, I used to hear the 

conversation that took place between C and his 

patients. I will repeat one. 

C, *Well, my man, what's the matter with 
you?' 

PatienU * Please, sir, I've got pains aU over 
me.' 

(7, * Oh, all over you, are they ; that's bad.' 

Then, during the pause, it was evident something 
was being mixed up, and I could hear C say : 

* Here, take this, and come again in the evening.' 
(Exit patient.) Then C. said to himself: * I don't 
think he'll come again ; he has got two drops of the 
croton. Skulking rascal, pains all over him, eh ! ' I 
never heard the voice of that patient again ; in fact, 
after a short time we had no cases of sickness on 
board. C explained to me that the only medicine 



154 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

he served out, as he called it, was croton oil ; and that 
none of the crew came twice for treatment, 

Never having run through the blockade as the 
commander of a vessel (though he was with me all 
the time and had as much to do with our luck as I 
had), he was naturally very anxious to get safely 
through. There can be no doubt that the vessel had 
lost much of her speed, for she had been very hardly 
pushed on several occasions. This told sadly against 
her, as the result will show. On the third afternoon 
after leaving Nassau she was in a good position for 
attempting the run when night came on. She was 
moving stealthily about waiting for the evening, 
when suddenly, on the weather, which had been 
hitherto thick and hazy, clearing up, she saw a 
cruiser unpleasantly near to her, which bore down 
under steam and sail, and it soon became probable 

that the poor little *D n's * twin screws would not 

save her this time, well and often as they had done so 
before. 

' The cruiser, a large full-rigged corvette, was 
coming up hand over hand, carrying a strong breeze, 

and the davs of the * D n ' seemed numbered, when 

C tried a ruse worthy of any of the heroes of 

naval history. 

The wind, as I said, was very fresh, with a good 



LAST DAYS ON THE 'D N' 155 

deal of sea running. On came the cruiser till the 

* D n * was almost under her bows, and shortened 

sail in fine style. The moment the men were in the 

rigging, going aloft to furl the sails, put his 

plan into execution. He turned his craft head to 
wind, and steamed deliberately past the corvette at 
not fifty yards' distance. She, with great way on, 
went nearly a quarter of a mile before she could 
turn. 

I have it from good authority that the order was 
not given to the marines on the man-of-war's poop 
to fire at the plucky little craft who had so fairly 
out-manceuvred the cruiser, for out-manoeuvred she 
was to all intents and purposes. The two or three 
guns that had been cast loose during the chase had 
been partially secured, and left so while the men had 
gone aloft to furl the sails, so that not a shot was fired 
as she went past. Shortly after she had done so, 
however, the cruiser opened fire with her bow guns, 
but with the sea that was running it could do no 

harm, being without any top weights. The * D n * 

easily dropped the corvette with her heavy spars 
astern, and was soon far ahead ; so much so that 
when night came on the cruiser was shut out of 
sight in the darkness. 

After this the * D n ' deserved to escape, but it 



156 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

was otlierwise fated. The next morning when day 
broke she was within three miles of one of the new 
fast vessels, which had come out on her trial trip, 
flying light, alas ! She had an opportunity of trying 
her speed advantageously to herself. She snapped 

up the poor * D n * in no time, and took her into 

the nearest port. I may mention that the ' D n ' 

and her captain were well known and much sought 
after by the American cruisers. The first remark 
that the officer made on coming aboard her was : 
' Well, Captain Roberts, so we have caught you at 
last ! ' and he seemed much disappointed when he 
was told that the captain they so particularly wanted 
went home in the last mail. The corvette which had 

chased and been cheated by the 'D n' the day 

before was lying in the port into which she was 
taken. Her captain, when he saw the prize, said : 
' I must go on board and shake hands with the gallant 
fellow who commands that vessel ! ' and he did so, 

warmly complimenting C on the courage he had 

shown, thus proving that he could appreciate pluck, 
and that American naval men did not look down on 
blockade-running as a grievous sin, hard work as it 
gave them in trying to put a stop to it. They were 
sometimes a little severe on men who, after having 
been fairly caught in a chase at sea, wantonly de- 



LAST DAYS ON THE 'D N' 157 

stroyed their compasses, chronometers, &c., rather 
than let them fall into the hands of the cruiser's 
officers. I must say that I was always prepared, had 
I been caught, to have made the best of things, to 
have given the officers who came to take possession 
all that they had fairly gained by luck having de- 
clared on their side, and to have had a farewell glass 
of champagne with the new tenant at the late owner's 
expense. The treatment received by persons cap- 
tured engaged in running the blockade differed very 
materially. If a hondfide American man-of-war of 
the old school made the capture, they were always 
treated with kindness by their captors. But there 
were among the officers of vessels picked up hurriedly 
and employed by the Government a very rough lot, 
who rejoiced in making their prisoners as uncomfort- 
able as possible. They seemed to have only one 
good quality, and this was that there were among 
them many good freemasons, and frequently a prisoner 
found the advantage of having been initiated into the 
brotherhood. 

The * D n's ' crew fell into very good hands, 

and till they arrived at New York were comfortable 
enough ; but the short time they spent in prison 
there, while the vessel was undergoing the mockery 
of a trial in the Admiralty Court, was far from 



158 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

pleasant. However, it did not last very long — ^not 
more than ten days ; and as soon as they were free 
most of them went back to Kassau or Bermuda ready 

for more work. came to England and told 

me all his troubles. Poor fellow ! I am afraid his 
services were not half appreciated as they ought to 
have been, for success, in blockade-running as in 
everything else, is a virtue, whereas bad luck, even 
though accompanied with the pluck of a hero, is 
always more or less a crime not to be forgiven. 



CHAPTER XV. 

RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE. 

After the excitement of the last six or eight 
months I could not long rest in England, satisfied 
with the newspaper accounts of the goings on in the 
blockade-running world. So I got the command of 
a new and very fast paddle-wheel vessel, and went 
out again. The American Government had deter- 
mined to do everything in its power to stop blockade- 
running, and had lately increased the force of 
blockaders on the southern coast by some very fast 
vessels built at New York. Being aware of this, 
some of the first shipbuilders in England and Scotland 
were put, by persons engaged in blockade-running, 
on their mettle, to try and build steamers to beat 
them, and latterly it became almost a question of 
speed, especially in the daylight adventures, between 
blockaders and blockade-runners. 

Some of the vessels on this side of the water 



i6o SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

were constructed regardless of any good quality but 
speed, consequently their scantling was light, and 
their seagoing qualities very inferior. Many of them 
came to grief; two or three swamped at sea ; others, 
after being out a few days, struggled back into 
Queenstown, the lamest of lame ducks ; while some 
got out as far as Nassau quite unfit for any further 
work. 

My vessel was one of the four built by R 

and G of Glasgow, and was just strong enough 

to stand the heavy cross sea in the Gulf Stream. 
She was wonderfully fast, and, taking her all in all, 
was a success. On one occasion I had a fair race in 
the open day with one of the best of the new vessels 
that the American Government had sent out to beat 
creation wherever she could meet it, and I fairly ran 
away from her. 

On arriving at Wilmington in my new vessel I 
started to have a look at Richmond, which city was 
then besieged on its southern and eastern sides by 
General Grant, who, however, was held in check by 
Lee at Petersburg, a small town situated in an 
important position about eighteen miles from the 
capital. To get to Richmond was not easily accom- 
plished without making a long detour into the 
interior (for which we had no time), for the outposts 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE i6i 

of the contending armies disputed possession of the 
last forty miles of the railroad between Wilmington 
and Petersburg, the latter town being on the line 
to Richmond. As telegraphic communication was 
stopped, it was a difficult matter to ascertain, day by 
day, whether a train could pass safely. 

We had in our party the young General Gustos 
Lee, a nephew of the Gonfederate commander-in- 
chief, on his way to his uncle's headquarters, who 
kindly offered his assistance in getting us through. 
When we arrived at a station some forty miles from 
Richmond we found, as we feared would be the case, 
our further progress by rail impracticable, but we 
got hold of a couple of waggons drawn by mules, 
into which we managed to stow ourselves and bag- 
gage ; the latter, by the way, being of considerable 
importance, as it contained several cases of drinkables, 
not to be obtained for love or money where we were 
going to. We travelled through all sorts of by- 
lanes, bumped almost to pieces for four miles, steer- 
ing in the direction of the headquarters of the cavalry 
outposts, which were commanded by a celebrated 
raiding officer, also a nephew of the commander-in- 
chief. At last we found ourselves in a beautiful 
green valley surrounded by thick woods, where the 
general and his staff were quartered. He had with 
8 



i62 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

him two or three thousand cavalry, who, in spite of 
their bad clothing and somewhat hungry appearance, 
were as fine-looking a body of men as one would 
wish to see. 

The general and his staff gave us a hearty 
welcome. Poor fellows, it was all they had to offer ! 
We on our part produced sundry cases of sardines, 
Bologna sausages, and other tempting condiments 
wherewith to make a feast. 

The drink we mixed in two horse buckets cleaned 
up for the occasion ; a dozen or so of claret, a couple 
of bottles of brandy, and half a dozen of soda water, 
the whole cooled with two or three lumps of ice (of 
which article, as if in mockery, the Southerners had 
heaps). All these good things were duly appreciated, 
not only by our new friends, who for months past 
had tasted nothing but coarse rye-bread and pork 
washed down with water, but also by well-shaken 
travellers like ourselves. Lying on the grass in that 
lovely spot, it seemed as if the war and all its horrors 
were for the moment forgotten. There were several 
Englishmen among the officers composing the staff, 
who had (they said) come out here to see active 
service, which they unquestionably had found to 
their hearts' content. They seemed the sort of men 
who would do credit to their country. I often 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 163 

wonder what has become of them ; in one of them I 
was particularly interested. He said his name was 
Cavendish, but it may have been a worn de guerre. 

While we were in the camp a picket came in, 
whose officer reported having had a skirmish with the 
enemy, in which the Northerners had been whipped. 
The way the cavalry outposts engaged with each 
other was curious enough. The ground they met on 
did not admit of cavalry charges being made, as thick 
underwood covered the country for miles round. So, 
when they were inclined for a brush, they dismounted, 
tied their horses to trees, and skirmished in very open 
lines, every man picking out his special enemy. 
When they had had enough of it, they picked up 
their killed and wounded, and, mounting their horses, 
rode awav. 

After passing four or five hours with our cavalry 
friends we bade them good-bye, and started (still 
accompanied by our valuable companion, the young 
general) on our way to the headquarters of the army, 
where we were to pass the night. It was well for 
us that we travelled in such good company, for having 
to pass all along the outskirts of the Southern army, 
we were constantly stopped and interrogated by 
patrols and pickets. Besides which we were some- 
times disagreeably near to the outposts of the ' boys 



i64 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

in blue/ as Grant's men were called. Having arrived 
very late in tlie evening at our destination, we 
bivouacked under tbe trees close to tlie headquarters 
of tbe general commanding, wbo was away at the 
front, and not expected back till the next evening. 
The rattle of musketry and the boom of heavy guns 
all through the night reminded us of our vicinity to 
the theatre of war, and somewhat disturbed our rest. 
But if we were a little nervous, we took care not to 
show it. In the morning we started in our waggons, 
and, after travelling a few miles across the country, 
came to the railway that connected the camp with 
Richmond. A train shortly afterwards picked us up 
and landed us at the capital of Virginia, where we 
took up our quarters at a comfortable-looking hotel. 
There was more to drink and eat here than at 
Charleston, consequently people had cheerful counte- 
nances. Liquor was, however, dear, brandy being 
sold at twenty-five shillings per bottle, it having to 
be run through the blockade. Here we found that 
the people had that wonderful blind confidence in the 
Southern cause which had mainly supported them 
through all difficulties. 

At this moment, though a line of earthworks 
hurriedly thrown up in a few hours at Petersburg was 
nearly all that kept Grant's well-organised army from 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 165 

entering the capital ; though the necessaries of war, 
and even of life, were growing alarmingly short ; 
though the soldiers were badly fed, and only half- 
clothed or protected from the inclemency of the 
weather (one blanket being all that was allowed to 
three men), still every one seemed satisfied that the 
South would somehow or other gain the day, and 
become an independent nation. 

While in Richmond I had the pleasure of making 
the acquaintance of the talented correspondent of the 
* Times,' who, although in a position to look on calmly 
at passing events, was so carried away by his admira- 
tion of the wonderful pluck shown by the Southerners, 
and by the general enthusiasm of the people among 
whom he lived, that he allowed himself to be buoyed 
up with the hope that something would eventually 
turn up in their favour, and in his letters never 
seemed to despair. Had he done otherwise he would 
have stood alone, so he swam with the tide ; whereas 
all of us, especially those who were mere lookers-on, 
should have seen the end coming months before we 
were obliged to open our eyes to the fact that it was 
come. Through his acquaintance with the big-wigs, 
we managed to get a few of them to accept an invita- 
tion to a feed, as we could ofier luxuries such as could 
not be found in Richmond. 



i66 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Some of the first men in the Confederacy 
honoured us with their company, and made themselves 
uncommonly agreeable, seeming quite a jolly set of 
fellows. I fear that they have nearly all come to 
grief since then, except Mr. Benjamin, the Minister 
of Foreign Affairs, who before his death, which 
occurred several years after the time that I write, 
made himself a name in England worthy of his high 
talents and education. 

I had the honour, while in Richmond, of being 
invited to a tea party by Mrs. Davis, the President's 
wife, which I thought very interesting. The ladies 
were all dressed in deep mourning ; some (the greater 
part) for the sad reason that they had lost near and 
dear relatives in the wretched war, the others, I 
suppose, were in mourning for their country's mis- 
fortunes. Mrs. Davis moved about the room saying 
something civil to every one, while the President, 
though a stem-looking man who never smiled, 
tried to make himself agreeable to his guests, and 
gave one the idea of a thorough gentleman. I 
saw there military officers who had lately come 
from the front, surrounded by groups of people 
anxious for news; delegates from distant seceding 
States ; messengers from Hood's army, about which 
many were beginning to be anxious ; sympathising 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 167 

foreigners, government officials, and many others. 
The whole of the conversation naturally related to 
the prospects of the cause, and no one would have 
guessed from what he heard in President Davis's 
house that the end was so near. 

I was anxious before my return to see something 
of the army that had so long defended Richmond. 
So I only remained a few days at the capital, after 
which I left it and its, alas ! too confiding inhabitants, 
and made my way as best I could to the head- 
quarters of the commander-in-chief. There I pre- 
sented my letters of introduction to General Lee. 

It would perhaps be impertinence on my part 
to attempt to eulogise the character of this excellent 
man and good soldier, who, most thoroughly believing 
in the justice of the Southern cause, had sacrificed 
everything he possessed in its behalf, and had thrown 
all his energy and talent into the scale in its favour. 
Many who knew him well have done and will con- 
tinue to do justice to his patriotism and self-denial. 
I had a very long conversation with him, which I 
wish I could repeat without being guilty of a breach 
of confidence, as evidence of the sensible notions he 
had formed of the state of affairs in the South. He 
was the only man I met during my travels who took 
a somewhat gloomy view of the military prospects of 



i68 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

the country — of wliicli, as a soldier, tliere could be 
no better judge. 

After spending twenty-four hours in the camp, 
we went to the railway station to see if we could get 
places for Wilmington. We found that the line was 
in the hands of the Southerners, and that although 
the ' boys in blue ' had a vulgar habit of firing into 
the carriages as they passed, the trains were running 
each night. But a train running and a non-combatant 
passenger getting a place in a carriage were widely 
different things, every available seat being taken up 
by sick and w^ounded soldiers. I made a frantic 
effort to get into the train somehow, and after a 
severe struggle succeeded in scrambling into a sort 
of horse-box and sat me down on a long deal box, 
which seemed rather a comfortable place to sleep on. 
It was pitch dark when I got into the train, and 
we were obliged to keep in the dark until we had 
run the gauntlet of the Northern pickets, who favoured 
us with a volley or two at a long range from the 
hills overlooking the railway. When we were clear 
of them I lighted a match, and to my horror found 
that I was comfortably lounging on a coffin. I wished 
I had not thi'own a light on the subject, but by 
degrees, becoming accustomed I suppose to my posi- 
tion, I sank into a comfortable sleep and was really 



RICHMOND DURING THE SIEGE 169 

quite sorry when, on arriving at some station just 
before daylight, people came to remove my peculiar 
though far from uncomfortable couch. I felt its 
loss the more, for in its place they put a poor fellow 
wounded nearly to death, whose moans and cries 
were, beyond anything, distressing. We were a long 
time getting to Wilmington, as it was necessary to stop 
and repair most of the bridges on the line before the 
train could venture over them, an operation at which 
all passengers sound in wind and limb had to assist. 

On arriving there we found all the world in a 
state of great excitement, on account of there having 
been a terrible fire among the cotton lying on the 
quays ready for embarkation, supposed to have been 
the work of an incendiary. 

The recollections of my last proceedings in the 
blockade-running are far from pleasant, and I shall 
pass them over as briefly as possible. 

* When we had only the American Government 
cruisers to fear, we enjoyed the excitement in the 
same way as a man enjoys fox-hunting (only, by the 
way, we were the fox instead of the huntsmen), but 
when dire disease, in the worst form that Yellow 
Jack could take, stalked in amongst us, and reduced 
our numbers almost hourly, things became too serious 
to be pleasant. 



I70 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

However, before the fever showed itself we 
made one successful round trip in the new vessel (in 
and out) in capital form, having some exciting chases 
and little adventures, all very similar to what I have 
described before, the vessel doing credit to her de- 
signers on all occasions. We landed one thousand 
one hundred and forty bales of cotton at Bermuda, 
and it was after we had started from Wilmington on 
our second trip that the horrid yellow fever broke 
out among us. I believe that every precaution was 
taken by the Government of the island to prevent 
the disease from spreading, but increased by the 
drunkenness, dissipation, and dirty habits of the 
crews of the blockade-runners, and the wretchedly 
bad drainage of the to^vn of St. George, it had lately 
broken out with great violence, and had spread like 
wildfire, both on the shore and among the shipping. 
It must have been brought on board our ship by 
some of the men, who had been spending much time 
on shore ; we had not been twenty-four hours at sea 
before the fever had got deadly hold on our crew. 

We went to Halifax, where we landed our sick 
and inhaled some purer air ; but it was of no avail. 
The fever was in the vessel and we could not shake 
it off. The poor fellows as soon as we were out at 
sea again began to drop off. I never can forget an 



YELLOW FEVER 171 

incident of that voyage, whichj as it could only have 
happened during blockade-running times, I will 
mention, melancholy though it was. Two men died 
in the middle watch one night, when we were in very 
dangerous waters. Their bodies were wrapped in 
rough shrouds, ready to be committed to the deep 
when daylight broke, as we dared not show a light 
whereby to read the Funeral Service. I never waited 
so anxiously or thought the dawn so long in coming. 
I was waiting with my Prayer-book in my hands 
straining my eyes to make out the service ; the men 
with their hats off, standing by the bodies, ready to 
ease them down into the sea. Our minds I fear 
wandered towards the danger that existed (almost to 
a certainty) of a cruiser making us out by the same 
light that enabled us to perform our sad office. 
However, as soon as there was light enough, the 
service was read without any indecent hurry, and 
fortunately nothing was in sight to disturb us for 
several hours afterwards. 

It was miserable work. That morning about 
seven o'clock a man came up from the engine-room, 
and while trying to say something to me fell down 
in a fit, and was dead in half a,n hour. There was 
quite a panic among us all, and as if to make things 
worse to the superstitious sailors, whenever we 



172 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

stopped several horrid sliarks immediately showed 
themselves swimming round the vessel. The men 
lost all heart, and would I think have been thankful 
to have been captured, as a means of escape from 
what they believed to be a doomed vessel. Taking 
into consideration that if we got into "Wilmington 
we should, with this dreadful disease on board, have 
been put into almost interminable quarantine (for 
the inhabitants of Wilmington having been decimated 
before by yellow fever, which was introduced by 
blockade-runners, had instituted the most severe 
sanitary laws), I determined to go back to Halifax. 

On arriving there I was taken very ill with 
yellow fever, and on my recovery made up my 
mind to give up blockade-running for ever and all. 
The game indeed was fast drawing to a close. Its 
decline was caused in the first by the impolitic 
behaviour of the people at Wilmington, who, pro- 
fessedly acting under orders from the Confederate 
Government at Richmond, pressed the blockade- 
runners into their service to carry out cotton on 
Government account, in such an arbitrary manner 
that the profit to their owners, who had been put to 
an enormous expense and risk in sending vessels in, 
was so much reduced that the ventures hardly paid. 
And when at last Fort Fisher was taken, and thus 



YELLOW FEVER 173 

all blockade-running entirely put an end to, the 
enterprise liad lost mucli of its charm ; for, unromantic 
as it may seem, much of that charm consisted in 
money-making. 

However, I will mention one or two instances to 
show what the love of enterprise will lead men to do, 
and with these I will close my narration. 

On the first night of the attack on Fort Fisher, 
which it may be remembered was a failure entirely 
through bad management, though its little garrison 
fought like lions, a blockade-runner unaware of what 
was going on, finding that the blockading squadron 
was very near inshore and hearing a great deal of 
firing, kept creeping nearer to the fort, till she was 
near enough to make out what they were doing. 
Judging rightly that they would never suspect that 
any attempt would be made to run the blockade at 
such a time, she joined a detachment of gun-boats 
and went deliberately in as one of them. When 
they, being repulsed, had steamed away, our friend 
remained at anchor under the fort, much to the 
astonishment of the garrison. It would have been 
rather awkward if the fort had been taken, but in 
such times no one looks very far ahead. 

Another vessel went out from Wilmington the 
same night, and was unmolested. But fortune does 



174 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

not always favour the brave. Fort Fisher was at 
last taken unbeknownstj as the sailors say, to the 
blockade-runners at Nassau or Bermuda, at which 
places the blindest confidence was still felt in every- 
thing connected with the fortunes of the South, and 
where to whisper an opinion that any mishap might 
happen to Wilmington was positively dangerous. 
The crafty Northerners placed the lights for going over 
the bar as usual. The blockade-runners came cau- 
tiously on, and congratulating themselves at seeing 
no cruisers ran gaily into the port. The usual feast- 
ing and rejoicings were about to commence when a 
boat full of armed men came alongside, and astonished 
them by telling them that they were in the lion's 
mouth. This happened to four or five vessels before 
the news had reached the islands. It was hard lines, 
no doubt, but quite fair play. It was the blockaders* 
turn to laugh n(5w. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE LAND BLOCKADE. 

I HAVE now come to tlie end of my blockade- 
running yarns. I have endeavoured to avoid giving 
offence to anyone : to tlie American officers and men 
who manned the cruisers I can, as a nautical man, 
truly and honestly give the credit of having most 
zealously performed their hard and wearisome duty. 
It was not their fault that I did not visit New York 
at the Government's expense ; but the old story that 
' blockades, to be legal, must be efficient,' is a tale for 
bygone days. So long as batteries at the entrance of 
the port blockaded keep ships at a respectable dis- 
tance, the blockade will be broken. 

A practical suggestion that my experience during 
the time I was a witness of the war in America would 
lead me to make is, that, both for the purposes of war 
and of blockade, speed is the most important object 
to attain. Towards the end of that contest, blockade- 



176 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

running became mucli more difficult, in fact, was 
very nearly put a stop to, not by the ports becoming 
more eiffectually closed to traffic, but by the sea being 
literally covered with very fast vessels, who picked 
up many blockade-runners at sea during the day- 
time, especially when they had their heavy cargoes 
of cotton on board. Tlie Americans are also perfectly 
alive to the fact that, for purposes of war, speed is 
all important. An American officer of rank once 
remarked to me : ' Give me a fifteen-knot wooden 
vessel armed with four heavy guns of long range, and 
I'll laugh at your lumbering iron-clads.' Perhaps he 
had prize-money in view when he said so; or, what is 
still more important, he may have felt how easily 
such vessels as those he proposed would sweep the 
seas of foreign privateers. In these views I can but 
think he was right and far-seeing. Time will show. 
It may have struck my readers as strange that, 
in a country with so large an inland boundary, the 
necessaries of life and munitions of war could not 
have been introduced into the Southern States by 
their extensive frontiers : but it is only a just tribu£e 
to the wonderful energy shown by the Northern 
Americans during the civil war, to state that the 
blockade by land was as rigid as that enforced by 
their fleets ; and almost as much risk was run by 



THE LAND BLOCKADE 177 

persons who broke the land blockade as by those 
who evaded the vigilance of the cruisers at sea. The 
courses of the large inland rivers were protected by 
gun-boats, and on account of the rapids and other 
impediments, such as snags, with which they were 
filled, the fords or passes for boats were few and far 
between, and thus easily guarded ; besides which, it 
was always a difficult matter to avoid the pickets 
belonging to either party, who were very apt to 
suspect a man they found creeping about without 
any ostensible object, and anyone suspected of being 
a spy in those days had a short shrift and a long rope 
applied before he knew where he was. More from 
a spirit of enterprise than from any other reason, I 
determined to see what the land blockade was like, 
and while at Eichmond, happening to meet another 
adventurous individual also so inclined, we commenced 
our plan of campaign. 

First of all (by the way, I ought to mention that 
we .were both nautical parties) we engaged a pilot, 
thereby meaning a man who had a canoe or two 
stowed away in different parts of the woods, and who 
was well acquainted with the passes on the river. 
Our amiable friend, the correspondent of the ^ Times/ 
showed so much confidence in our success that he 
entrusted to our care a packet of despatches, which 



178 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

were intended, if we got through successfully, to 
delight the eyes of the readers of the ' Thunderer ' 
some weeks afterwards. 

We had to buy a horse and buggy, as naturally 
enough no one would let them out on hire for such 
an enterprise; besides, those were not days when 
men let out anything on hire that they could not 
keep in sight. However, we sent a man on before 
us, in company with the pilot, to a station some 
miles from the frontier, whose business it was to 
bring the trap back when we had done with it. We 
stowed in our haversacks a pair of dry stockings, a 
good stock of tobacco, and a couple of bottles of 
brandy, against the road ; we also had passes to pro- 
duce in the event of questions being asked by the 
patrols on the Southern side of the frontier. 

All being ready, we started, leaving Richmond at 
four o'clock in the morning. We travelled on a long, 
dreary, dusty road all day, stopping about noon for 
two hours at a free nigger's hut, where we got some 
yams and milk, and about sunset arrived at the 
station above mentioned, at which we were to dismiss 
our conveyance ; and right glad we were to get rid 
of it, for we were bumped to death by its dreadful 
oscillations. 

At this station our pilot was waiting for us. 



THE LAND BLOCKADE 179 

There were also bivouacking here a picket of cavalry, 
who told us they had seen some of the enemy's 
patrols that morning, scouring about on the opposite 
bank of the river just where we proposed to land. 
Somehow or other, people always seem to take a 
pleasure in telling you disagreeable things at a time 
when you rather want encouragement than fear in- 
stilled into you. We had some supper, consisting of 
eggs and bacon ; and at nine o'clock, it being then 
pitch dark, the pilot informed us it was time to start. 
I must say I should have been more comfortable if I 
had been on the bridge of my little craft, just starting 
over the bar at Wilmington, with the probability of 
a broadside from a gun-boat saluting us in a very 
short time, than where I was. But it would never 
do to think of going back, so we crawled into the 
wood. 

Our land pilot informed us that the bank of the 
river, from whence we should find a clear passage 
across, was about two miles distant. I never re- 
member seeing or feeling anything to be compared 
with the darkness of that pine wood, but our guide 
seemed to have the eyes of a basilisk. We formed 
Indian file, our guide leading, and crept along as best 
we could. At last, after stealthily progressing for 
half an hour, a glimmer of starlight through the trees 



i8o SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

showed us tliat we were getting to the borders of the 
wood. 

A few minutes afterwards we were desired to lie 
down. Feeling helpless as babes, we passively obeyed, 
and watched our guide as he moved about like a 
spectre in the long grass on the banks of the Potomac, 
looking for his canoe. At last he returned and whis- 
pered that the boat was all right, and we all crept 
like serpents to where it was concealed. Nothing 
could be heard but the wind blowing through the 
trees, and the discordant noises of frogs and other 
denizens of the swamp. So dark was the night that 
we could hardly see fifty yards across the river. I 
suppose this was all in our favour ; but how our guide 
knew the marks by which to steer was a puzzle to 
me, and as I never meant to profit by this experience 
I asked no questions. 

Not a word was spoken as we (myself and my 
friend) launched the canoe silently into the water 
and seated ourselves, or rather obeyed orders and 
lay down, the pilot sitting in the stern, with his face 
towards the bows of the boat, having a light paddle 
in his hand, which he worked wonderfully well and 
silently. The distance across the river was about 
three miles. 

We shot ahead at a rapid pace for about five 



THE LAND BLOCKADE i8i 

minutes, when suddenly, bump went tlie canoe 
against something. To lie flat down was to our 
guide the work of a second, and the canoe was at 
once transformed into a floating log. 

Well it was so, for it seems we had struck a 
small boat that was fastened astern of the gun-boat 
guarding the river. That the noise of the collision 
had been heard on board was evident, for a sentry 
hailed, ^ Boat ahoy ! ' and fired his musket, and one of 
those detestable bright lights which the American 
men-of-war have a nasty habit of showing flashed 
over the water, making everything visible for a 
hundred yards round. The current of the river, 
however, was very strong, and I fancy we had drifted 
out of the radius covered by the light, as we were 
fortunately not discovered ; or perhaps the diligent 
watchman on board the man-of-war thought some 
huge crocodile or other monster had come in contact 
with their boat. Be that as it may, we were safe, 
and twenty minutes more paddling brought us to 
land on the opposite bank of the river ; but unfortu- 
nately our little adventure had thrown us out of 
our line, or as we sailors should have called it, out 
of our course. We hauled the canoe out of the 
water, and hid her in the long grass. All we could 
see around us was a dismal swamp, with the dark 



i82 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

wood in tlie background. Our guide honestly told 
us that having been thrown out of his ' reckoning * 
in regard to our position, to move from where we 
were before daybreak would be madness, so we took 
a pull at the brandy bottle, lighted our pipes and 
waited patiently, having moved well in under cover 
of the long grass, so as to be out of sight of any 
vessel lying in the river near to us. 

When the day dawned, our pilot after having 
reconnoitred told us that we were very well placed for 
starting for Washington ; but that it would be impos- 
sible, on account of the patrols that were constantly 
watching the river's banks, for us to move during 
the daytime, so we were doomed to remain all day in 
the damp grass. Luckily we had put in our pockets 
at last night's supper some black bread and an onion 
or two ; so we made the best of things, and so did 
the sandflies. How they did pitch into us, especially 
into me ! I suppose the good living I had been 
accustomed to on board the blockade-runner, or my 
natural disposition to good condition, made me taste 
sweet. Several times during that fearful day I was 
tempted to rush out from my hiding-place, and 
defying patrols, gun-boat's crew, and all authorities, 
make my escape from that place of torture. 

Anyone who has experienced the necessity of 



THE LAND BLOCKADE 183 

remaining quiet under sucli an infliction as an attack 
of millions of sandflies on a hot sunny day will 
appreciate my feelings. About one o'clock we got 
as a diversion from our tormentors a great fright. 
A boat's crew of a gun-boat lying about a mile 
distant from our retreat landed, and out of sheer 
idleness set fire to the grass about a hundred yards 
from where we were lying concealed. 

We heard the crackling of the grass and thought 
of leaving our concealment at the risk of discovery; 
but our guide wisely remarked that the wind was 
the wrong way to bring the fire towards our hiding 
place, so we felt safe. The feeling of security was 
more pleasant, because we distinctly heard the men 
belonging to the gun-boat conversing with others, 
who clearly were patrols on the river's bank. 

The evening at last closed in, and as soon as it 
was quite dark we moved on, and after strugglmg 
through a thick wood for half an hour, got on the 
high road to Washington. We travelled by night, 
meeting occasional patrols, whom we dodged by either 
lying down or getting behind trees till they had 

passed. 

We concealed ourselves carefully during the day, 
and on the third morning before daylight we were 
within half a mile of the city. As we got near the 



i84 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

bridge close outside Washington, we tried our best 
to look like tlie rest of tbe people who were going 
on their ordinary business; and though somewhat 
severely scrutinised by the guard we managed to 
pass muster, and got safely into Washington, foot- 
sore, hungry, and regularly done up. 

We went to a small inn that had been recom- 
mended to us when we were in Richmond, where 
probably they had some Southern proclivities. No 
questions were asked as to where we came from, 
though, I take it, the people of the house had a shrewd 
guess. We found ourselves among friends and per- 
fectly safe from meddling inquiries. 

Thus the land blockade was run. I do not think 
much experience was gained by this particularly 
unpleasant exploit, which after all there was no very 
great difficulty in performing, and I certainly prefer 
my own element. 

After a short stay we made our way easily to 
New York, not feeling any anxiety from the fact of 
our being staunch Southerners in our opinions, inas- 
much as there were numbers of sympathising friends 
wherever we went, more perhaps than the authorities 
were aware of. I stayed a few days in New York to 
recruit my strength after the fatigue of the journey, 
and saw all the sights and enjoyed all the pleasures 



THE LAND BLOCKADE iSs 

of the most delightful city in the world, except per- 
haps Paris and London. I shall not attempt to give 
my readers any description of New York. This has 
already been done by abler pens than mine. 

While in New York I was greatly struck with 
the calm confidence of the bulk of the Northerners 
in the ultimate success of their arms against the 
South. If I gained nothing else by running the 
land blockade, I at least got an insight into the 
enormous resources possessed by the North, and a 
knowledge of the unflinching determination with 
which the Federals were prepared to carry on the 
struggle to the end. I must confess that I left New 
York with my confidence that the Confederates would 
achieve their independence very much shaken. 

Not being desirous of going through the risk and 
inconvenience of running the land blockade again, 
I returned to Nassau by steamer from New York. 



i86 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 



CHAPTER XVn. 

I ENTER THE TURKISH NAVY. 

After superintending, as it were, tlie adventures just 
detailed, I found that there was still a year to pass 
before my time for service as a post-captain came 
on ; so I determined on making a Continental tour to 
fill up the space. After wandering about in different 
countries, I more by accident than design visited 
Constantinople. 

While there, I called upon that great statesman 
Fuad Pasha, the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, 
to whom I presented my letters of introduction. He 
received me most cordially, and, during our conversa- 
tion, mentioned that for some years Turkey had had 
to deal with a serious insurrection in the island of 
Crete, which it was found difficult to suppress, owing 
to the assistance from without which the revolutionary 
party received from Greece ; also on account of the 
somewhat doubtful laws existing as to blockade- 



/ ENTER THE TURKISH NAVY 187 

running. For, altliougli Turkisli men-of-war were 
continually on the look-out, vessels mostly under the 
Greek flag, carrying warlike stores, provisions, &c., 
evaded the watch of the cruisers on one pretext or 
another, and so managed to keep a lively communica- 
tion with the insurrectionary subjects of the Sultan 
in Crete. Only one vessel had been captured in 
■flagrante delicto after a sharp fight, and had been 
condemned as a lawful prize. 

The Turkish authorities were told that, according 
to international law, a blockade-running vessel could 
not be followed more than ten miles from the coast, 
though having been seen breaking the blockade, and 
that as soon as a blockade-runner was within four 
miles of any island not belonging to Turkey, she 
could not be touched, &c. &c. ; in fact, laws were 
fabricated to defend the blockade-running, which fed 
the revolution to such an extent that, while it con- 
tinued, it was hopeless to attempt to put down the 
revolt. 

I accidentally hinted to His Highness, Fuad 
Pasha, that I thought the blockade-running could 
be put a stop to without infringing any law, espe- 
cially where laws were so elastic. He seemed 
much struck with my remark, and asked nqe to call 
on him again in a few days. Now I had merely 



i88 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

mentioned casually what I thouglit. I had no idea 
of anything serious resulting from our interview. I 
was indeed surprised on my return to His Highness 
by his saying : ' I have consulted His Majesty the 
Sultan, who desires me to tell you that if you would 
wish to take service with the Ottoman Government, 
arrangements can be made whereby you can do so, 
only you must take the risk and responsibility of 
offending your own people.* 

I had to consider a little before replying. I bore 
in mind that there were some two hundred and fifty 
post-captains in the English navy clamouring for em- 
ployment, and that there were at the moment I speak 
of only about forty employed. I remembered that 
for twenty-four years an English officer of the same 
rank as myself had held the post now offered to me, 
namely, that of Naval Adviser to the Turkish Govern- 
ment, that the post was just vacant through the 
retirement of Sir Adolphus Slade (who had served 
honourably for twenty years, and had retired from 
old age). I calculated in those days of profound 
peace there was more probability of active service in 
the Eastern world than elsewhere. So I answered : 
' Well, your Highness, I am ready if the terms 
offered me are satisfactory.' 

I may say they proved most satisfactory ; so, to 



/ ENTER THE TURKISH NA VY 189 

make a long story short, I accepted and was booked 
as a Turkish employe for five years, always retaining 
my rank and position as an English naval ofiicer, and 
my nationality as a British subject. 

I found afterwards, as regards my position as an 
English naval officer, I had somewhat reckoned with- 
out my host. It seems that this post was considered 
by the English Admiralty as one of their choice gifts, 
and many were the applicants for it on Sir A. Slade's 
retirement, so much so that their lordships made 
great capital of this appointment, and were furious at 
my action in the matter. They said I had * cut out * 
a good old servant to whom they had intended to give 
it. They suggested my coming home at once, &c. 
&c. I didn't see it in the same light as their lord- 
ships, and I signified my determination to remain 
where I was ; for which, as will be seen, they paid 
me ofi" in course of time. Luckily, I could afford by 
the arrangement I had made with the Turkish 
Government to be in the Admiralty's bad books, and 
even the frowns of the English Ambassador did not 
affect me a bit. I believe they called me * adven- 
turer,' * artful dodger,' &c., but it must be remembered 
that I was in every way as much entitled to this 
position as the Admiralty ' pet,' whoever he may have 
been. 



I90 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

From the day of signing my contract (wHcli has 
been constantly renewed) to the time I write, some 
sixteen years, I never have had cause to regret the 
step I took. 

Shortly after my installation as vice-admiral in 
the Turkish navy, it was decided that I should be sent 
to Crete to put a stop to the blockade-running. ' Set 
a thief to catch a thief,' as one of my, what may 
be called, unfriendly critics has written about me, 
and the remark was hefKi trovato at all events, for 
I certainly did know something about blockade- 
running. 

I accordingly hoisted my flag in a fine fifty-gun 
wooden frigate, and arrived at Suda Bay, the principal 
port of Crete, where six or seven Turkish men-of-war 
were stationed, of which I took command. Here I 
heard all the naval officers had to say about the blockade, 
the impunity with which it was carried on, &c. I 
found, as I before mentioned, that the Turkish naval 
officers' hands were tied by all sorts of imaginary 
difficulties. They had most zealously done their 
duty while trying to stop the blockade-running. 
They had shown great pluck and endurance, but they 
always feared to break the law and so get the ever- 
buUied Turkish Government into trouble. Here I 
also heard of the triumphant manner in which the 



THE CRETAN INSURRECTION 191 

blockade-runners left the ports of Greece. How the 
Mayors of SyraJ Poros, and other Greek towns, con- 
ducted, with flags flying, bands playing, and the 
hurrahs of the entire population, the hitherto trium- 
phant blockade-running captains and crews to their 
ships, on the way to feed the flame of revolt against 
a nation with whom the Greeks professed to be on 
most friendly terms. 

I heard all this, and was moreover told that if 
the blockade-running was stopped, the insurgents in 
Crete would at once lay down their arms for want of 
food and warlike stores. 

I determined to stop it at all risks. 

Picking out of my squadron a couple of fast 
despatch boats and a quick steaming corvette to 
accompany my flag-ship, I started on a cruise, and 
once out of sight of the harbour of Suda, steamed 
straight for Syra. Now this port had been the prin- 
cipal delinquent in fitting out and sending blockade- 
runners to Crete \ so I thought that by going as it 
were to the starting-point, I should be somewhat 
nearer to my quarry than by waiting for them in 
Crete. Circumstances favoured me in the most mar- 
vellous manner. As morning broke the day after 
I left Suda, I was about eight miles from Syra 
harbour steaming slowly, when I saw what made my 



192 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

heart leap into my moutli, viz., a regular blockade- 
runner exactly of tlie type used in tlie American war, 
going at full speed for Syra harbour. 

He was outside my little squadron, and must pass 
within a mile or so ahead to get to his port. 

A somewhat similar position I have so often seen, 
in fact, taken part in, of a craft running for dear life 
into Charleston or Wilmington, across the bows of 
blockading ships just at daylight. I saw that he 
was firing up all he knew, and was going at a 
tremendous speed. I signalled to my despatch boats 
to chase, and when my flag-ship was within about a 
mile and a half I fired a blank gun to make him 
show his colours. To this he replied by firing his 
long Armstrong gun with such effect that the shot 
cut away the stanchion of the bridge on which I was 
standing. Now, gallant fellow as he was, in doing 
this he was wrong ; he should have shown his colours 
and run (if he knew he wasn't honest) for the shelter 
of a neutral flag, but not fired at a man-of-war, who 
in her duty as forming part of the police of the seas 
fires a blank gun asking for colours from a suspicious 
vessel. He undoubtedly committed an act of piracy 
and gave me a splendid hold on him. 

My despatch boats chased the blockade-runners 
close to Syra harbour, both parties keeping a warm 



THE CRETAN INSURRECTION 193 

running figHt. When I recalled them, I found that 
this vessel was named the ^ Enossis.' Her captain was 
a most courageous Greek, who thought of nothing but 
carrying his cargo and fighting to the last for his 
ship, evidently ignoring all laws, nor did he even think 
that on this occasion someone was acting against him 
who knew something of the rules of blockade, and 
who could have told him that an armed blockade- 
runner is a pirate, that is to say, if she uses her arms 
against a man-of-war. 

I was so satisfied with what had occurred that I 
sent ofi" one of my despatch boats to the Governor of 
Crete, telling him that he need not fear the blockade- 
runners any more, as they (the two others were lying 
in Syra harbour) had put themselves in so false a 
position that at all events for several weeks I could 
detain them at Syra. I knew that one week would 
sufiice to stop the revolt in Crete, as without the 
blockade-runners the insurrectionists had positively 
nothing to eat. 

(I may as well at once observe that I was perfectly 
justified in saying this, for within three days, no 
blockade-runner arriving at the island, the insurgents 
laid down their arms and begged fm' bread. And so 
ended the Cretan revolt.) 

Having recalled the vessels I had sent to chase 



194 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

the ^ Enossis ' into Syra harbour, I steamed in the 
roads off that port, and anchored with three vessels. 

I then sent to the authorities on shore at Syra, 
and demanded their assistance in arresting a vessel 
that had taken shelter in their port, which, as I stated 
in my despatch, had committed an act of piracy on the 
high seas, by firing at my flagship when the latter 
called upon her to show her colours by firing a blank 
gun. At the same time I informed the authorities of 
Syra that, as the companions of the * Enossis' were in 
the harbour, I should allow none of them to go to sea 
until the question of that vessel's illegal action was 
cleared up. By doing this I took the wind out of 
the sails of the authorities of Syra. They of course 
were furious, and at once despatched a vessel to 
Athens for orders. At the same time they made a 
semblance of meeting my demand by stating that the 
' Enossis ' should be tried by international law. They 
also requested me to make my protest and to leave 
Syra, as the populace were in a state of excitement 
beyond their power of control. In this request all 
the Foreign Consuls joined. 

I positively declined to leave ; had I consented I 
am convinced the * Enossis' and her companions would 
have left for Crete as soon as I was out of sight. In 
the meantime I sent a despatch boat to Smyrna with 



THE CRETAN INSURRECTION 195 

telegrams for Constantinople asking for assistance, 
stating my position. I remained off Syra with two 
ships, one being a despatch boat, watching the move- 
ments of the three blockade-runners, to whom I 
notified that I would sink them if they attempted to 
leave the port. 

I often wonder they didn't make a rush for it on 
the first night of my arrival, when I was almost alone. 
The Greeks never want pluck. K they had done so, 
one vessel out of the three would certainly have 
escaped, taken food to the insurgents, and capsized 
all my calculations. 

It merely corroborated my view of blockade- 
running peoples, namely, that they go for gain (some 
perhaps for love of enterprise) ; don't fight unless 
very hard pressed, and not always then if they are 
wise; that is what it should be. It is outrageous 
that adventurous persons not engaged in war should 
become belligerents, as well as carriers of arms and 
provisions to an enemy. 

The first night I passed off Syra was one of great 
anxiety, as I had promised the Governor of Crete that 
no blockade-runner should go to the island. 

In the morning a small steamer arrived from 
Athens with a Turkish official on board. He came 
to me pale as a sheet, and told me that as he left the 



196 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Pirasus a Greek frigate was on the point of leaving 
for Syra, whose captain, officers, and crew had sworn 
to bring back Hobart Pasha dead or alive. Half an 
hour afterwards I got nnder weigh, and as I steamed 
about in the offing I saw the Greek frigate coming 
round the point. 

It was a moment of intense excitement. The 
tops of the houses at Syra were covered with people. 
It looked like the old story of the * Chesapeake ' and 
' Shannon,* where the people turned out to see the fine 
sport, and the band played, * Yankee doodle dandy, 
oh!' 

However, I steamed towards my supposed enemy, 
went almost alongside of him, expecting momentarily 
to receive his broadside, when to my astonishment and 
I must say satisfaction he steamed into the anchorage, 
and let go three anchors. This didn't look like fight- 
ing. I found afterwards that the Greek frigate had 
wo 2^owder on board. It was a shame to put her 
captain in so false a position, as everyone knows 
what gallant stuff the Greeks are made of, and 
swagger is a mistake where real pluck exists. 

I felt for him very much, as he seemed so sorry 
for himself. 

A few days after this I was reinforced by six or 
seven Turkish ironclads, and in fact commanded the 



THE CRETAN INSURRECTION 197 

position in spite of all remonstrances on the part of 
foreigners and other declared enemies of Turkish 
rule. 

We went through the laughable farce of a trial of 
the ' Enossis ' on board a vessel lying in port (I dare 
not land), which of course ended in nothing. 

The Governor-General of Crete sent all the insur- 
gents in Turkish ships to me to deal with, and this 
was the most difficult thing I had to do. Poor 
beggars, they were fine though misguided men. 
After giving them a good feed, for they were terribly 
hungry, I distributed them among the neighbouring 
Greek islands, and so finished the affair. 

There are those who say that my acts off Syra 
were illegal, especially as to stopping the ' Enossis's ' 
companions from leaving the port. All I can say is, 
the Greeks en masses from the Government downwardsj 
had paid so little regard to international law during 
three years, as regards their action in encouraging 
revolution in the territory of a friendly country, that 
a little stretch of the law on my part was quite 
justifiable. 

While on the subject of Crete, which is always 
supposed to be in a chronic state of revolt, I would 
say a few words. 
^^ maintain that the Cretan people, of whom I 



198 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

know a good deal, do not want an alliance with 
Greece, and if the always over-excited ambitious 
Greek committees would only keep quiet and give 
up agitation, the Cretans would be the happiest 
community in the Mediterranean. 

While I commanded for more than a year a large 
squadron of Turkish ironclads stationed in Crete, I 
had many opportunities of judging as to the senti- 
ments of the Cretans. 

I never saw a more orderly, well-disposed people 
if let alone by agitators. 

On my return to Constantinople the reception I 
received from several of the European Powers was 
most gratifying. 

I received high honours in the shape of decora- 
tions, for having as they said by my conduct pre- 
vented a European war. My own country alone 
stood aloof from me. The Admiralty went so far as 
to tell me that if I did not immediately return to 
England, my name would be erased from the list of 
naval officers. An officer of high rank, a member of 
the Board of Admiralty, wrote to me a semi-official 
letter, in which he said, * Unless you leave the Turkish 
service, you will be scratched off the list.' Feeling 
exceedingly hurt at such treatment, at a moment 
when I expected encouragement for having main- 



THE CRETAN INSURRECTION 199 

tained the honour of my country while acting as a 
naval officer should have done, I wrote to him, 'You 
may scratch and be d— d/ This letter was, I think, 
very unfairly quoted against me some time afte^ards 
in the House of Commons. However, my name was 
erased from the list of naval officers, and was not 
replaced there for several years. I was well and 
kindly received by His Majesty the Sultan, promoted 
to the rank of full admiral, and settled down to my 
work as a Turkish naval officer, head of the staff of 
the Imperial Navy. 

It becomes a most delicate task to continue 
sketches of my life during the latter time that I 
have been in Turkey, because such anecdotes strike 
nearer home, that is to say, become more what may 
be called personal as regards my public and private 
doings. However, I will endeavour, somewhat briefly 
perhaps, to do so in a way that may be interesting to 
my readers, and offensive to no one. 

It is not difficult to serve such masters as the 
Turks ; they are always kind and considerate to 
strangers in their service, and if one avoids offending 
them in certain matters on which they are supposed 
to have prejudices, and if one while giving advice 
avoids offensive censure, it is easy to get on. While 
serving in Turkey my principal business has been 



200 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

relating to naval matters, regarding wHcli I have 
had to propose certain progressive changes such as 
are being constantly introduced into foreign navies, 
more especially the English. These changes proposed 
by me have generally been accepted, and I can but 
think that many beneficial alterations have been 
introduced into the Turkish Navy tending to improve 
that service. 

His Majesty the Sultan has named me one of his 
special A.D.C.'s, and in that capacity I have had 
at times and still have important duties. 

His Majesty always treats me with the greatest 
kindness and consideration, and I have a sincere 
respect and affection for him, both as a sovereign, 
and, if I may presume to say so, as a friend. 



CHAPTER XVin. 

THE WAR WITH RUSSIA. 

In 1877 the war with Russia broke out, and 
through the absence of any powerful naval enemy, 
little in the way of hard fighting was done ; still 
some very important service was performed by the 
Turkish fleet, much more so than is generally 
known. 

In the first place we had to hold the Black Sea, 

with its extensive sea-board. We defended Sulina 

and Batoum against Russian attack by land, and 

by torpedo on the sea. We had to watch the little 

swift packet boats equipped as men-of-war, which 

constantly made a rush from Sebastopol and Odessa 

(as they did, by the way, in the Crimean War, when 

twenty to thirty English and French ships were 

watching them), and when they could get a chance 

burnt some unfortunate little coasting craft, sending 

the crews of such vessels adrift in small boats to 



202 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

make tlie best of their way to tlie nearest land. In 
addition to tlie above-named services, tlie Turkish 
fleet was called upon constantly to transport large 
bodies of troops from port to port. 

On one memorable occasion the Turkish men-of- 
war and transports conveyed the whole of Suleiman 
Pasha's army, consisting of forty thousand men, from 
the coast of Albania to Salonica, a distance of some 
eight hundred miles, within the short space of twelve 
days, a feat, I venture to say, unheard of in the naval 
annals of this century. Sulina was held safely by 
the Turkish fleet until the end of the war. 

Batoum could not have been held by Dervish 
Pasha and his army had not the Turkish fleet been 
there to help him. In short, that fleet kept the 
command of the Black Sea during the whole of that 
disastrous war, cruising at times in the most fearful 
weather I have ever experienced, for twelve months 
in a sea almost without ports of refuge ; and it is a 
remarkable fact that the Turks never lost a ship, 
constantly attacked though they were, as I shall 
show hereafter, by the plucky Russian torpedo boats, 
who frequently made rushes at them from Muscovite 
ports, and only saved from destruction through the 
precautions taken against these diabolical machines, 
which come and go like flashes of lightning. It is 



THE WAR WITH RUSSIA 203 

true that in the Danube two small Turkish vessels of 
war were destroyed by torpedoes, but it must be 
borne in mind the Danube was under military 
law, and that the look-out kept on board these 
vessels was not by any means what it should have 
been. 

But I must repeat, as so many contrary reports 
have been spread, that no Turkish ironclad was 
injured by torpedoes in the Black Sea. 

I will explain hereafter how many attacks were 

made with no result whatever. Some few days 

before the war broke out I was sent to examine the 

Danube from a professional point of view, and it was 

soon made clear to me that much could be done, in 

the way of defending that great estuary, had nautical 

experience and the splendid material of which the 

Turkish sailor is made of been properly utilised. 

But alas ! I found that, contrary to the views of His 

Majesty the Sultan, a line of action was followed 

showing that pig-headed obstinacy and the grossest 

ignorance prevailed in the councils of those who had 

supreme command in that river. I found that my 

advice and that of competent Turkish officers, in 

comparatively subordinate positions like myself, was 

entirely ignored, and that few, if any, proper steps 

were taken to prevent the enemy's progress into 



204 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Koumania, and later on, to his passing the Danube 
almost unopposed. 

On the day that war was declared I was at 
Eustchuk, the headquarters of the Turkish army. 
On that occasion I made a final effort, by making 
propositions which events have proved would have 
arrested the advance of the enemy. 

I was simply told to mind my own business, and 
ordered to immediately rejoin my ships, which were at 
the moment lying at the Sulina mouth of the Danube. 

It was all very well to tell me to do this ; but to 
do so was apparently not so easy of execution, for 
the reason that the Eussians had no sooner declared 
war than they took possession of the Lower Danube, 
by planting fortifications on the hills commanding 
the river in the neighbourhood of Galatz and Ibraila, 
at the same time laying down torpedoes across the 
river in great quantities (as regards the latter, it was 
so reported, though in my opinion it was no easy 
matter so quickly to place torpedoes). I informed 
the military commanders of this ; their answer was, 
* Go, and rejoin your ships via Varna, if you will only 
get out of this ; we don't want your advice.' By this 
time, however, my professional pride was wounded, 
and I determined to do something to show my con- 
tempt for them all. 



THE WAR WITH RUSSIA 205 

The only thing left for me to do for the moment 
was a little blockade-running, so I resolved to 
bring my ship back past the Russian barrier in the 
Lower Danube at all risks, instead of tamely return- 
ing by land. So great was the jealousy against me 
that I almost think the Turkish authorities com- 
manding in the Danube would have been pleased if 
I had failed, and so come to grief. I had with me a 
very fast paddle-steamer called the ' Rethymo ' ; her 
captain and crew were what the Turks always are — 
brave as lions and obedient as lambs. 

I took on board a river pilot, whom I gave to 
understand that if he got me on shore I would blow 
his brains out. Before starting I sent for my officers 
and crew and told them of the perhaps unnecessary 
dangers we should run in passing the Russian barrier, 
and gave to all the option of leaving or going on. 
They decided to a man to go on. I arranged my 
time so as to pass Ibraila and Galatz during the 
night. We arrived to within thirty miles of the 
former place at about five o'clock in the evening, 
when I was met by a Turkish official who was leaving 
Ibraila on the war having broken out. He was 
fearfully excited, and begged of me on his knees not 
to go to what he called certain destruction. He 
told me that he had seen the Russians laying down 



2o6 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

torpedoes that same day, that the batteries were 
numerous, and that they were aware of my coming, 
&c., all of which I took with a considerably large 
grain of salt, and left him lamenting my mad folly, 
as he called it. 

Now I must be candid. I did not fed the danger. 
I calculated that to put down torpedoes in a current 
such as was in the Danube would be a matter of 
time, and probably they would not succeed after all. 
I had a plan in my head for passing the batteries, 
so as to render them harmless. So in reality I was 
about to attempt no very impossible feat. Three 
hours after dusk we sighted the lights of Ibraila. 
The current was running quite five knots an hour ; 
that, added to our speed of fifteen, made us to be 
going over the ground at about twenty knots. It 
was pitch dark, and I think it would have puzzled 
the cleverest gunner to have hit us, though they 
might have done so by chance. I determined not to 
give them that chance, by going so close under the 
bank that the guns could hardly be sufficiently 
depressed to hit us. 

As we approached the batteries to my horror a 
flash of red flame came out of the funnel (that fatal 
danger in blockade-running), on which several rockets 
were thrown up from the shore, and a fire was opened 



THE WAR WITH RUSSIA 207 

at where the flame had been seen. Meanwhile we 
had shot far away from the place, and closed right 
under the batteries. I heard the people talking; 
every now and then they fired shot and musketry, 
but I hardly heard the whiz of the projectiles. My 
principal anxiety was that we might get on one of 
the many banks so common in the Danube, and I had 
perhaps a little fear of torpedoes, especially when we 
passed the mouths of the little estuaries that run into 
the Danube ; once we just touched the ground, but 
thank goodness we quickly got free, and though fired 
at by guns and rifles, went on unhurt. It took us 
exactly an hour and forty minutes to pass dangerous 
waters, and the early summer morning was breaking 
as we cleared all danger. I could not resist turning 
round and firing a random shot at the banks studded 
with Russian tents, now that I was able to breathe 
freely again. 

I must say that my pilot, whom I at first suspected 
of being a traitor in Russian pay, behaved splendidly. 

He told me he had never passed such a night of 
fear and anxiety : what with my cocked pistol at his 
head and the constant fear of putting the vessel on a 
bank, he certainly had had a bad time. However, I 
rewarded him well. On arrival at Toultcha, a small 
town near the mouth of the Danube, still held by the 



2o8 SKETCHES FROM MY UFE 

Turks, I found telegrams from headquarters at 
Rustchuk (the place I had left), inquiring if Hobart 
Pasha had passed IbraUa and Galatz, and ordering 
that if he had done so he was immediately to leave the 
Danube. 

I cannot express my annoyance, as even at that 
moment I could have brought a couple of small iron- 
clads that were lying at Sulina into the river and 
played ' old Harry ' with the Russian army, then 
advancing into Roumania, viob Galatz. The bridge 
near Galatz could certainly have been destroyed. It 
was hard on the gallant Turks, hard on the Sultan 
and his government, and hard on me, to see such 
magnificent chances thrown away. From that moment 
I trembled for the result of the war. I felt that, 
although the Turks had a splendid army, and a fleet 
even for a first-class European Power to be proud 
of, the obstinacy and stupidity of the commanders 
of the Danube were sure to cause disaster. 

Unhappily my prognostications came true. In 
war the first blow is half the battle, and it was sad to 
see such glorious troops outmanoeuvred at the very 
outset. His Majesty the Sultan in his wisdom has 
justly punished by banishment and disgrace these 
men who, instead of covering the Turkish nation 
with glory through the deeds of its army, were the 



THE WAR WITH RUSSIA 209 

cause of the defeat of the finest troops in the world. 
That the Russians might and would have been beaten, 
had the means in the hands of those commanding the 
Turkish army being properly utilised, is as clear as 
day. However, it is not my business to comment on 
such, matters. 

I now return to my own element, and will en- 
deavour to describe some of the occurrences of the 
war in the Black Sea. The Russians had three 
lines of action in those waters. First, to capture 
Sulina, and to destroy the squadron lying at anchor 
in its roadstead ; second, to capture Batoum and its 
much-envied harbour ; third, the somewhat undigni- 
fied action of sending out fast vessels, mostly mail 
boats, armed with a couple of guns, their object being 
to destroy the Turkish coasting trade. These vessels 
were most difiicult to catch, as they always watched 
their opportunity to slip out of their strongholds 
when the Turkish ships were employed carrying 
troops, or otherwise engaged. There was, I venture 
to think, some illegality in this conduct of the 
Russian mail boats. 

These vessels were not regular men-of-war, and 
they did not take their prizes into port for adju- 
dication, as is usual in war, always burning what 
they could catch and capture. However, during war I 
10 



210 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

suppose all must be considered as fair play. Wliile 
on the subject, I will recount one or two exploits 
performed by these enterprising mail boats. When 
lying off Sulina, one of the ironclad corvettes under 
my command arrived from Constantinople, where her 
captain reported having chased a well-known Russian 
mail steamer called the ' Vesta ' ; that they had ex- 
changed a few shots, that he had not followed her 
because his deck was loaded with guns for the Sulina 
batteries. I thought no more about it till about a 
fortnight afterwards I saw in the * Times ' a paragraph 
headed, * Turkish ironclad driven off and nearly 
destroyed by the Russian mail boat cruiser " Vesta." ' 
This paragraph, which was founded on the official re- 
port of the captain of the ' Vesta,' was most sensational. 
It gave a graphic description of how the * Vesta ' had 
engaged at close quarters a Turkish ironclad, killing 
her crew ; how officers in European uniform had been 
seen directing the working of the ironclad's guns, &c. ; 
how her sides were crimson with the torrents of blood 
pouring from her decks, and how she would have 
been surely captured had the ^ Vesta ' been provided 
with sufficient ammunition to enable her to continue 
the bloody fight. It added that the gallant Russian 
commander was received with the greatest enthu- 
siasm on his arriving at Sebastopol, and imme- 



THE WAR WITH RUSSIA 211 

diately promoted to higli rank and covered with 
decorations. ^ 

I could hardly believe my eyes when I read this 
utter nonsense. I know the Russians ; they are brave 
and loyal fellows, and few indeed are there among 
them who have done (to say the least of it) so foolish 
an act as to make so unfounded a report. 

However, the commander, whose name I will not 
mention, did not long wear his laurels. I suppose 
he trusted to the Turks saying nothing about it ; but 
the truth was at last made public. A court-martial 
was assembled to try the case, and I believe he was 
dismissed from the service and deprived of his 
decorations. At all events I know for certain that 
he was disgraced by his superiors, and held up to 
ridicule by his brother officers. Serve him right! 
Swagger is always an error, and I don't think naval 
officers are generally given to it. 

The next exploit of these cruisers I shall refer to 
was one that came under my own eyes, and was 
exceedingly interesting. 

I was anchored with my flag-ship, a fine thirteen 
knot ironclad, and a couple of other vessels, at a port 
some few miles to the north of Varna, taking in coals, 
when the look-out man reported that he saw on the 
horizon a column of smoke. I knew that this was 



212 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

not a Eussian cruiser, because these vessels always 
burnt smokeless coal. I guessed, however, what it 
was, namely, that one of the Russian cruisers was 
burning an unfortunate coasting vessel. On looking 
more closely from the masthead of the flag-ship, I 
saw the masts and two funnels of a steamer very near 
to the burning ship. The cruiser was somewhat in 
shore of the place where I was lying. He seems to 
have made my squadron out about the same time I 
had seen him, and at once made tracks, as the 
Americans say, to get out to sea. In doing so he had 
to near us considerably, so much so that before steam 
was ready in the flag-ship I could pretty well discern 
what the enemy was. Some persons may be surprised 
to hear that the marauding vessel was no less a craft 
than the magnificent yacht of the Emperor of All the 
E/Ussias, called the ' Livadia,' which had condescended 
to the somewhat undignified work of capturing small 
Turkish coasting craft. Who can fancy the ' Victoria 
and Albert ' being sent to sea, during a war between 
England and France, to capture and destroy small 
coasting craft on the French shores ! However, there 
was the fact ; it was the * Livadia,' and no mistake. 
And now commenced one of the most interesting 
chases I have ever seen. On our starting the yacht 
was about four miles ahead of us, steering a course 



THE WAR WITH RUSSIA 213 

that would take her straight to Sebastopol. She had 
got through all the necessary dangerous manoeuvre of 
crossing our bows, from her having been inshore of 
us, before we moved. 

The weather was lovely, not a ripple on the water, 
dead calm. 

"We commenced the chase at 4*30 p.m. Unfor- 
tunately our decks were loaded with coal ; however, 
we made a clean thirteen knots. At first it seemed as 
if we were coming up with the chase, so much so 
that I felt inclined to fire the long bow gun at her. 
But I always think and I say from blockade-running 
experience that firing more or less injures a vessel's 
speed ; so I refrained from doing so. As night closed 
in a beautiful moon rose and made everything as 
clear as day. The equality of our speed was most 
remarkable, insomuch as the distance between us did 
not vary a hundred yards in an hour. All night we 
were watching, measuring distances with nautical 
instruments, &c., hoping at moments that we were 
nearer, despairing at others that she was gaining 
from us. We threw overboard fifty or sixty tons of 
coal, to no avail ; we could not get within shot of 
the * Livadia,' to capture which I would have given 
all I possessed. As day broke we saw the crew of 
the * Livadia ' busily employed throwing overboard 



214 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

coal and water. Sebastopol was in sight, and she 
was running for dear life to that haven of safety. 
Lightening her had certainly a good effect, for it was 
sadly evident to me that on doing so she drew ahead 
a little, but very little. Now I hoped she would 
burst her boiler or break down ever so little ; but so 
it was not fated, and the Emperor's yacht escaped by 
the skin of her teeth into Sebastopol, under the protec- 
tion of batteries that opened a tremendous fire on my 
ship on my approaching, forgetful of their existence ; 
I was obliged to clear out of that pretty sharply or 
we should have been sunk. 

An ironclad corvette that accompanied me, though 
some miles astern at the finish, ran so close in that 
she had her rudder shot away, and we had the un- 
pleasant task of towing her out under a fire more 
like a hailstorm of shot and shell than anything I can 
compare it to. I am told the ' Livadia ' would have 
shown fight. I have no doubt she would ; Russians 
always fight well : but I think the result would not 
have been doubtful, and the Emperor's crockery and 
glass, to say nothing of the magnificent gettings-up 
in the cabins, would have lost much of their lustre 
during an engagement. So the glory of taking the 
Emperor's yacht into the Bosphorus was not to be 
mine. I cannot express my disappointment at losing 



THE WAR WITH RUSSIA 215 

sucli a chance. The only consolation I have is that 
I really believe the brave Russians would have blown 
her up, rather than allow such a disgrace to fall on 
their flag. 

Since the war a Eussian naval officer told me 
that he had under his command at Sebastopol, on 
the day of my chasing the * Livadia ' into that port, 
seven torpedo boats, with which he volunteered to 
go out and attack us. His request was not allowed. 
We discussed at some length the probable result. 
These are my views and arguments. I said to him, 
* When I saw your boats coming out I should have 
steamed away. Now the speed of my frigate is 
thirteen knots. You would probably have had a 
speed of nineteen to twenty at most. Thus your rate 
of approaching me would have been six knots, no 
great speed with which to approach a vessel armed 
with Nordenfelt guns, and six other guns also, en 
harhette, firing grape, shell, &c. I am convinced we 
should have destroyed all the torpedo boats.' * Well, 
then,' said the Russian officer, ' I should have followed 
and attacked you during the night.' ' There again,' I 
said, ' I think you would have failed, because before 
dark you could not have got near enough to me, 
on account of the opposition you would have met 
with from my fire, to remark the course I steered 



2i6 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

after sunset, whicli course I should have frequently 
changed during the darkness. A ship cannot be seen 
in the dark if she shows no light at more than five 
hundred yards distance, and a moving ship would 
have been most difficult to hit ; besides which, if I 
had stopped and put down my defences, what could 
you have done?' This discussion ended in the 
Eussian officer admitting that he did not think he . 
could have done much. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR. 

To return to tlie doings of the Turkisli fleet in 
the Black Sea during the war, Sulina was a point 
from the beginning always aimed at by the Russians. 
In fact, according to my humble ideas, Russia went 
to war to get possession of Bessarabia, the key of the 
Danube, and Batoum, the key to Asia Minor, and in 
a great measure to our Indian possessions. I think 
the sentimental story of massacres in Bulgaria was 
merely a blind whereby to catch the sympathetic 
support of Europe, and more especially the English 
philanthropists. I think this, because when the most 
awful cruelties were committed by the Bulgarians on 
the Turks after the war, we heard no outcry about 
massacres. However, I must not introduce politics 
into Sketches from a sailor's life; such would be 
out of place. Constant attacks were made by land 
and by sea on Sulina, which was held and defended by 



2i8 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

Turkish sMps and tlieir crews, who manned the small 
batteries they had planted at the mouth of the river. 
To the Russians, to destroy the Turkish squadron lying 
off that port was of great importance, as Sulina is 
entirely surrounded by water and great impassable 
marshes, which extend far inland, through which 
marshes the Danube runs, and thus can always be 
defended by ships. 

The Turkish squadron generally consisted of five 
or six ironclads, and as the Eussians had not ships 
wherewith to attack these ironclads, torpedo attacks 
(of which so much was and is expected) was their only 
chance. 

My idea of defending these vessels when at anchor 
was by a cordon of guard-boats, with ropes made fast 
between them, so as to catch any attacking torpedo 
boat, either by fouling her screw as she advanced, or 
by stopping entirely her progress. Moreover, a 
torpedo boat thus stopped would, by catching the 
rope, draw the guard-boat on either side of her, or 
right on top of her. I must admit that while 
torpedoes at that time were supposed to be in their 
infancy, the defence prepared against their attack 
was also very much in its infancy, so these prepara- 
tions were of the most primitive description. 

The squadron, as I said, consisted of five vessels, 



THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR 219 

wliicli had been in the habit of standing out to 
sea every night, to avoid torpedo attacks. On the 
occasion I am writing about, they had returned 
to the anchorage on account of bad weather. A 
Kussian steamer with five torpedo boats in tow 
started (as we afterwards learnt) from Odessa to hunt 
for the Turkish squadron, which, it was known to them 
through their spies, was in the habit of cruising off 
Serpent's Island, about eight miles from Odessa. The 
Muscovites were unable to find their enemy, and I 
don't wonder at it, for they were not in their usual 
cruising ground ; even had they been there, to find 
them would have been difficult, as the Turkish ships 
always cruised in open order, burnt smokeless coal, and 
showed no lights. On being disappointed in finding 
what she wanted at sea, the Russian vessel steamed 
towards the anchorage off Sulina. As the weather 
was bad, her commander decided not to attack, and I 
fancy had to cast off his torpedo boats. 

One of these boats, if not more (I have never been 
able to ascertain precisely what happened to the five 
torpedo boats that left Odessa), made a dash at the 
Turkish squadron ; the weather not permitting him 
to use his Whitehead, he decided to try what his 
pole torpedo would do. As he approached the head- 
most vessel, he found (as he explained afterwards to 



220 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

me) that something stopped his way, and he saw at 
the same time several black objects approaching him. 
Nothing daunted, he struggled to get close to the 
bows of the ironclad; when he got as near as he 
could manage he fired his torpedo, without, however, 
doing any harm to his enemy. Scarcely had he done 
this when he found himself in the water and his 
boat gone from under him : the real facts being that 
the black objects he had seen were the guard-boats, 
which were closing on him, the ropes that connected 
them together having fouled his screw, and caused 
the disaster ; his boat was capsized and went to the 
bottom. Four or five of her crew were drowned, as 
he would have been, had he not been fished out of 
the water by the Turkish guard-boats, and made 
prisoner. 

The name of this daring naval officer was Putskin. 
,His cool courage was very amusing. When interrogated, 
while still in a half-drowned condition, he exclaimed 
in excellent English, * Why the devil didn't I blow 
that ship up ? ' He was asked if he had any idea 
what stopped him, and it was suggested to him that 
something must have fouled his screw. He answered, 
* I don't know what stopped me, but why the devil 
didn't I blow the ship up ? ' I told him that I had a 
sort of notion he might be hanged for using such a 



THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR 221 

fearful weapon. He said, * No brave man would liang 
me ; but why/ &c. 

He seemed to have only one idea, and that was 
he was a fool for having failed. He was too good a 
man to let go, so we kept him till nearly the end of 
the war. 

Wherever he may be now he is a fine fellow, whose 
bravery I for one shan't forget in a hurry. 

A short time after the above-named occurrence 
the Russians attempted an attack upon Sulina by 
land and water, with what object I have never been 
able to understand ; as, if they had succeeded, they 
could not have held it so long as our ships were 
anchored in the offing. Perhaps their intention was, 
by driving us out of the river, to utilise its position 
for torpedo attacks. 

I have explained that Sulina was surrounded by 
sea and vast marshes. Along the seashore there was 
a narrow causeway of sand, on which ten men could 
march abreast. The only other approaches were by 
sea and by the river, the latter, at about ten miles 
distance, being in the hands of the Russians. As a 
defence we had placed on the beach, at about a gun- 
shot's distance, several torpedoes, buried in the sand, 
and connected by electric wires with the batteries of 
Sulina. A simultaneous movement was made by 



222 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

three or four Eussian gun-boats descending the river, 
and two regiments of troops accompanied by artillery 
were sent along the causeway. Suspecting some- 
thing in regard to torpedoes, they drove before 
them as a sort of advance guard about two hundred 
and fifty horses without riders, it being the duty 
of the poor animals to take the shock of the ex- 
plosion should torpedoes be placed on the beach. 
And so they did, for, on the horses passing the spot 
where the torpedoes were placed, an explosion took 
place through which several horses were killed. The 
rest turned right back, and the causeway being very 
narrow, dashed amongst the advancing troops, caus- 
ing the greatest confusion, so much so that the whole 
party had to retreat and we saw them no more. 

It is true that one of the small ironclads had 
about got the range of the advancing enemy along 
the sea-beach, so making their position rather pre- 
carious, but I believe that the real cause of the failure 
was the action of the horses. 

In the meantime, the light draft Russian gun- 
boats came down the river, and began to fire shell 
and shot at a long range at the small town and 
fortifications of Sulina. This was answered by the 
temporary batteries alone, the ships being out of 
range. Desultory fighting went on for about twenty- 



THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR 223 

four hours, when tlie Russians, finding the hope- 
lessness of the enterprise, especially now that the 
troops had retired, gave it up as a bad job and 
steamed up the Danube again. This was the only 
serious attack made upon Suliha, which Eussia could 
never have taken and held till she had destroyed 
the Turkish fleet. After this I went to Batoum, 
which place Dervish Pasha was gallantly holding 
against Russia. He was sadly in want of naval help, 
as the Russians had advanced by the sea-shore to 
within six miles of that much-coveted port. On 
arriving there I took the command of eight Turkish 
ships of war, besides transports that were constantly 
coming and going between Constantinople and Batoum 
with provisions, ammunition, &c., for the army 
and navy. Here, again, if the Russians could have 
disposed of the Turkish fleet they would have easily 
taken Batoum. By commanding the sea, even with a 
couple of vessels, they would have prevented sup- 
plies being sent. It must be remembered there was 
no way of supporting the soldiers and sailors except 
by sea. My first object was to drive the Russians, 
by the fire of the ships, more inland. This was easy 
enough, as of course the enemy had no guns with 
them to compare in range with those on board the 
ironclads. Some time after my arrival, however, 



224 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

they brought down two fifteen centimetre KJrupp 
guns from Ardahan, guns that had a considerably 
longer range than our twelve-ton Armstrongs. They 
gave us some trouble ; however, the position of the 
attacking camp was changed so as to be out of range 
of our guns, a move in every way satisfactory to the 
Turkish military commander. This action of our 
fleet gave great annoyance to the enemy, and it was 
determined if possible to make our lying at Batoum 
a dangerous if not impossible matter. This was to 
be done by the so-called almighty torpedo. I re- 
ceived notice from our secret agent at Sebastopol 
that a serious expedition was being organised, that 
the Turkish ships at Batoum were to be destroyed or 
frightened away at any cost. Frightened away, indeed ! 
To the uninitiated a torpedo is a thing to frighten 
any one away. We had heard of magnificent results 
of torpedo trials in peace, how ships (I fancy only 
hulks) had been blown up, columns of water half 
a mile high being sent into the air, &c. Nothing, 
it was said, could save you. Whatever my ideas^ 
however nervous I may have felt, I knew that those 
I was commanding had no fear — they don't know 
what it means, the more especially of a not under- 
stood possible casualty, and though more enlightened 
as to torpedoes and their accepted effects, I wasn't 



THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR 225 

to show my people a bad example. When lying in 
bed in the middle of the night, having read the warn- 
ing letter before retiring, I thought ; — * Suppose one 
of these nasty things goes off and blows the flagship 
up at this moment. How pleasant ! What cowardly 
things these are ; no fair fight, up you go, unshriven. 
I have heard that a man who is hanged is likely to 
go to heaven ; I wonder if the same chance would 
be given to him blown up by a torpedo ? ' These sort 
of feelings came over me. However, said I, *Let 
us see if we can prevent their being realised ; ' so I 
went to work to try to do so. As a sportsman I 
calculated that to fire at a dark object in the night, 
especially when that object had a background of high 
hills such as we had at Batoum, was most difficult, 
so the first order I gave was no lights, not even a 
cigarette light ; utter darkness under severe penalties. 
Next, considering that Batoum is a very small port, 
with an entrance difficult to find even in broad day- 
light, almost impossible in the night without the 
lighthouse as a guide, I ordered that the lighthouse 
should not be lighted. Then I arranged with the shore 
authorities that no lights should be seen in the town ; 
this was more difficult, as there were many Kussian 
friendlies in Batoum. 

However, the application of somewhat severe 



226 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

discipline made Batoum like a city of the dead after 
dark. 

In addition to these precautions I put a barrier of 
booms ahead of the ships lying in the port, placed 
guard-boats to watch it at the entrance of the har- 
bour, and having done all this, I bided ray time. For 
some nights, rather sleepless to me, though to my 
disgust I heard my officers snoring all round me, 
nothing happened (though, as I heard afterwards, a 
good deal had been going on outside the harbour), 
when, at about three o'clock in the morning of the 
third or fourth night after I had received the warning, 
I heard a row going on in the direction of the guard- 
boats and an explosion near to one of the outlying 
ships. I had hardly time to think, when something 
struck the chain of my flagship and seemed to spin 
past, like a fish in the water. Then dead silence. 
I immediately sent orders to the two fast cruisers, 
which were lying with steam up, to go to sea and 
reconnoitre. 

Suddenly I heard people on shore calling out (I 
forgot to mention that ships in Batoum harbour are 
always lashed to the shore). I sent my officer to 
reconnoitre, who found a gaping crowd standing 
round what they thought was a large fish lashing his 
tail, but what in reality was an unexploded torpedo 



THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR 227 

with the screw still in motion. On things being calm 
I went myself to see what had happened generally 
during the attack, and found that a torpedo had 
struck the bows of one of the ironclads on the belt, 
at the waterline at an angle, had exploded, and 
scarcely left a mark ; that a second torpedo had, 
after passing through the planks on the defensive 
barrier I had placed, diverged from its course, and 
gone quietly on shore as far as the left of the 
squadron ; that a third, as I said, had struck the chain 
of the flagship and not gone off, but had run on to 
the beach. The parts of another torpedo were after- 
wards picked up, it evidently having exploded some- 
where down below. So we could account for four torpe- 
does having been fired at us without effect ; probably 
there were more. Those that were on the beach were 
in a very perfect state, and as soon as we had rendered 
them harmless, we made prisoners of war of them. 
Now I have been since informed of what went on 
outside Batoum. It seems that for three nights two 
fast Russian steamers, carrying torpedo boats, had 
been looking for Batoum, and as one of my in- 
formants said, ^ We could not find it for love or money.* 
A couple of hours before daylight they had steamed 
off, so as to be out of sight before break of day. At 
last they had bribed a man to light a fire in the hills 



228 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

behind the town, and so on the fourth night they 
got somewhere near it, but they could not make out 
the ships on account of the dark land behind them. 
The time for steaming off having nearly come, they 
determined to have a shot at us, so fired five 
torpedoes into what they thought the centre of the 
Turkish fleet, with what result we have seen. The 
person who told me was one of them, and said it was 
sickening work looking for Batoum. It is true the 
nights were fearfully dark, so that the shape of the 
land could not be made out. He said that without 
the traitor's light they could not have found us. I 
am not saying by this that one should always trust 
to darkness ; there are many other ways now of 
taking the sting out of torpedo attacks. It is 
needless to say that the steamers I sent out returned, 
having seen nothing. While the fleet was at 
Batoum, two or three more torpedo attacks were 
made on a smaller scale without effect ; but I have 
bored my readers enough about torpedoes — all I 
know is that I can sleep now when in their vicinity. 
While in the Black Sea I several times went with 
two or three ships that could be spared from other 
duties and reconnoitred Sebastopol and Odessa, but 
being fully convinced of the helplessness of few or 
even of many ships against the heavy batteries of the 



THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR 229 

present day, I did no more tlian look about me, 
occasionally exchanging shots with the enemy. As 
to burning defenceless towns and villages, I have 
always been thoroughly adverse to such things, so I 
never undertook it. Some people think war should 
be made as horrible as possible ; in this I do not 
agree. I could easily have burnt the Emperor's palace 
at Yalta, but did not think it expedient to do so. 

I have already spoken in general terms of the 
great services rendered by the ironclads in moving 
the troops about, but I feel that, in justice to the 
gallant crews of the squadron I had the honour to 
command during the war, I ought not to bring this 
portion of my narrative to a close without mentioning 
more particularly a piece of work of that nature 
executed under my immediate direction. 

The capture of Soukhoum-Kaleh had been followed 
up by the despatch of an expedition of some 4,000 
men of all arms to a place some thirty miles down 
the coast, called Tchamchira. The military commander 
at Soukhoum had some idea, I believe, that this force 
would be able to make its way inland, and thus 
encourage risings amongst the tribes against the 
detested Muscovite rule. The country, however, was 
too unfavourable for the advance of invading troops, 
being swampy ground with thick bush where it was 



230 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

not an impenetrable forest. The Russians also got 
wind of the intended movement, and to make a long 
story short, had managed to collect a large opposing 
force. The expedition was landed, but that is all. 
Before much could be done to secure the position as 
a base — whilst the men in fact were making entrench- 
ments — the Russians, who under cover of the forest 
that extended right down to the beach on either 
side had been stealthily making their preparations, 
attacked them on all sides, and but for the covering 
fire of the ironclads, fortunately still at anchor there, 
would undoubtedly have driven them into the sea. 

The result of this action enabled the force to esta- 
blish itself in the village, and hold possession of the 
small belt of cleared ground around it, the extreme 
limit of which was still within the range of the guns 
of the ironclads. 

The position of this force, however, daily grew 
worse. The Russians had captured the fords, by 
which their retreat to Soukhoum was cut off. They 
were completely surrounded, and only owed their 
preservation to the continual presence of an ironclad. 
Under these circumstances it was thought advisable 
to withdraw the men, and Dervish Pasha entrusted 
me with the task. To give an idea of the precarious 
position of this force, I may mention that, as I 



THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR 231 

approached the place in my flagship, we heard the 
sound of smart cannonading, and I found the guard- 
ship engaged with a battery of field-pieces. The 
Russians had recently received a large accession of 
force, and several field-guns of large calibre ; and so, 
not content with troubling the camp daily with an 
enfilading fire, had thought to try conclusions with 
the heavy guns afloat. On our appearance the action 
ceased, the Russians withdrawing their battery into 
the safe shelter of the forest. The Russian fire had 
been well directed, and had the guns been heavier 
calibre, considerable damage would have been in- 
flicted. As it was, the upper works and rigging were 
cut about a great deal, and two men killed and four 
wounded on board the ironclad. After a conference 
with the general in command, I proceeded to 
Soukhoum to make arrangements for transport. I 
had hardly arrived there when a message from 
Tchamchira arrived, urgently demanding assistance, 
as the Russians were advancing in great force. I 
hurried back with all the vessels I could collect to 
Tchamchira, three ironclad corvettes and two wooden 
paddle-wheel transports. Fortunately the Russian 
attack had not commenced, and the arrival of my 
squadron probably led to its postponement until 
too late. To remove 4,000 men, bag and baggage, 



232 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

with several batteries of field-pieces and a large 
amount of ammunition, was no easy task with the 
small amount of transport at my command. I made, 
however, what I considered to be the best disposition 
possible under the circumstances. 

The corvettes and the paddle transports were 
moored in as close to the shore as possible, my inten- 
tion being to cram them with men and stores first, 
leaving my flagship free to the last to manoeuvre off 
the Russian camp and shell it, should the slightest 
opposition be offered to the embarkation. The work 
commenced at daylight, and was actively carried on 
throughout the day and following night, the last 
batch of men coming off at dawn. The men were 
taken away from under the very teeth, as it were, of 
the Russians. The ships in shore were well within 
rifle range, and the boats passing to and fro were 
exposed the whole time to a fire from hidden foes. 
The enemy had been evidently overawed by my pre- 
parations, and doubtless thought it would be better 
for them to allow the invading force to retire un- 
opposed. To avoid the chance of grounding, in case 
I should have to use the frigate fire to cover the em- 
barkation, a volunteer crew had proceeded off the 
Russian camp during the night, and laid down a line 
of buoys, to show the limit of distance to which the 



THE TURKISH FLEET DURING THE WAR 233 

shore might be approached with safety. These buoys, 
glisteuing in the sunlight, doubtless suggested to the 
Russians that something dreadful was in store for them 
if they attempted to fire a gun, and so they contented 
themselves with watching from the trees, amongst the 
branches of which we saw a number of them perched 
like so many birds of prey. The whole credit of the 
embarkation is due to the efficient manner in which 
the naval officers under my command carried out the 
instructions given them, and the great docility of the 
Turkish soldiers. Soon after sunset the general and 
staff left the shore, and their example was followed 
by every military officer of any rank ; so that the 
whole work devolved upon those I had placed in com- 
mand of the beach and the boats. 

The men marched down quietly by themselves 
and everything went on like clockwork. I must 
confess that I passed a most anxious night, as I knew 
not but what at any moment the enemy might make 
a rush into the entrenchments the Turks were aban- 
doning, in order to claim a victory. My own ship 
was getting lumbered up, and I knew that before long 
it would be impossible to work more than one or two 
of the guns in case of need. That the Russians, 
however, could not know this, was my comfort ; but 
I must own that it was a great relief to me when the 
11 



234 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

last detachment left the shore. The poor fellows had 
been holding the outposts all night. They came in 
at the double, and little time was lost over their 
embarkation. 

We steamed off at once to Soukhoum, and there 
disembarked the expedition. Shortly after this I 
was called upon to prepare for a veritable exodus. 
The evacuation of Soukhoum had been decided upon, 
but His Imperial Majesty felt that the poor people, 
who had been expecting a permanent deliverance from 
the Russian yoke, could not be abandoned to those 
whose vengeance they had excited. Intimation was 
therefore given that all those desirous of leaving the 
country should be carried to Turkish territory, and 
provided with lands to form new settlements. The 
whole population pretty well made up its mind to 
leave, and came marching into Soukhoum with their 
flocks and herds, and household goods and chattels. 
Suffice it to say that, with the vessels under my com- 
mand, I shipped off and landed at Batoum, Trebizonde, 
Sinope, and other ports on the Turkish coast some- 
thing like 50,000 people, counting men, women, and 
children, within the space of a fortnight. 



CHAPTER XX. 

SPORT IN TURKEY. 

I WILL now endeavour to give my readers some idea 
of life at Constantinople. If the resident is a sports- 
man lie can find plenty of amusement, game of all 
descriptions being plentiful. I may say that the 
shooting begins about September 1, when great 
flights of quails pass the environs of Constantinople, 
from the threatening winter of Russia to the warmer 
climate of Egypt, and afford capital amusement. 
But really to enjoy the sport it is necessary to go 
somewhat far, within ten miles of Constantinople. 
The fields during the quail season are filled with so- 
called sportsmen to such an extent that one has 
every chance of being mistaken for a quail, and 
potted accordingly. I have counted at St. Stephano, 
a place about nine miles from Stamboul, celebrated 
for treaties and quails, both in due season, more than 
five hundred sportsmen accompanied by howling curs 



236 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

of every description. Such a sight is worth looking 
at, but for sport, well — ^it is better to leave gun and 
dogs at home. 

I once ventured out among the motley crowd of 
quail-shooters; there happened to be a flight of 
quails, so the fire kept up very much resembled a 
field-day on South sea Common. I was hit all over 
with (thank goodness !) very small shot, and made a 
rapid retreat to save my skin from perforation. 

However, going some distance along the coast, 
away from the enemy, one may at times get capital 
sport during the months of September and October ; 
for example, a single gun may bag a hundred and 
fifty to two hundred quails in a day. 

After the quail comes the partridge shooting, 
which is very good, especially in the islands of the 
Turkish archipelago, where there are great numbers 
of red-legged partridges affording famous sport. 

To properly enjoy the shooting in Turkey a 
yacht is necessary, as the best of it is to be found in 
the islands and near to the sea-coast, in places quite 
inaccessible to roads. 

For example, the islands of Mitros, Lemnos, and 
Mytelene abound in partridges, and the shooting 
there is really capital. 

Either by bringing a yacht from England, or by 



SPORT IN TURKEY 237 

hiring one at Constantinople, the real sportsman may 
have great amusement while shooting, with Con- 
stantinople as headquarters. He will find in Asia 
Minor deer of all descriptions, wild boars and wolves. 
Then he will have capital sport with geese, ducks, 
woodcocks and partridges, and snipe. 

Occasionally he must rough it somewhat while 
sleeping in villages some little distance from the sea- 
coast for a night or two, instead of retiring on board 
his floating home, and on this head I would give a 
word of advice to the sportsman. Always take up 
your quarters in a Turkish village, if possible, in 
preference to a Greek village. At the former you 
will find the traditional hospitality of the Oriental, 
even among the very poor people, practised in every 
sense of the word ; whilst in the latter you will be 
exploits (there is no English word that signifies aa 
well what I mean) to the last degree, even to the 
pilfering of your cartridges. 

I have seen on arriving at a Turkish village 
every one vie with the other, and doing their very 
utmost to make the sportsman and his party com- 
fortable. I have seen ' harems,' such as they are, 
cleaned out and prepared as a sleeping apartment, 
all the inmates huddling together in some little 
comer. I have remarked one old woman arrive with 



238 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

a couple of eggs, anotlier witli what was perhaps her 
pet fowl, to be sacrificed at the altar of hospitality 
— m fact, only one idea seemed to animate them, 
namely, hospitality, and it is touching to see how 
they shrink from the proffered reward made by the 
sportsman on leaving these kind though poor and 
long-suffering people. 

There are different kinds of deer to be found in 
Asia Minor, which strangely enough imitate the habits 
of the inhabitants, Greek, Turk, and Armenian, by 
not herding together. 

First, there is the large red deer which generally 
inhabit the high mountains and are difficult to get, 
except when the winter snow drives them down into 
the lower grounds. I have been fortunate enough to 
kill several of these splendid animals during my 
sojourn in Turkey. I will give my readers an account 
of how I shot two of them. One day during the 
winter, when the mountains were covered with snow, 
I received news that three deer of the largest de- 
scription were in a ravine at the foot of a mountain 
some six hours' distance from Ismidt. I immediately 
started off in pursuit. I must mention that all 
persons of high rank in Turkey have, or had at the 
time I write of, by their shooting firman, the right 
to call upon the villagers in the neighbourhood in 



SPORT IN TURKEY 239 

whicli they are shooting to assist in driving or 
searching for game. In my case it was not necessary 
to take advantage of such an offer ; every one was 
on the alert for my arrival. The people told me 
that that very morning they had seen the noble 
beasts I was after, grazing outside the wood. So, 
gathering the villagers, boys carrying horns, men 
(much against my will) carrying guns, accompanied 
by every available dog, from the grand shepherd's 
dog to the yapping cur of the village, off" we started. 
The ravine was thickly wooded, and extended far 
up the mountain, where it ended in a bare spot 
without trees. To this place I went alone, leaving 
the crowd behind me with directions not to move 
till I was in my place, which instruction they most 
strictly followed. After half an hour's walk I ar- 
rived at the place I have named. I had hardly time 
to regain my breath w^hen I heard a row below me 
as if Bedlam had been let loose. I loaded my gun 
with buckshot in one barrel and ball in the other, 
and remained as quiet as a mouse. As the noise of 
the beaters and dogs approached me, I heard a crash 
in the bushes within about forty yards of me, and 
presently a magnificent stag as big as a cow came 
slowly out of the cover, looking behind him, evidently 
not expecting an enemy in front. As soon as he 



240 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

was well clear of the bushes, I fired at him with 
buckshot and killed him dead. I hardly had time 
to think, when, with a tremendous rush, two other 
large deer broke out of .the wood straight at me at 
full gallop. I fired a bullet at the foremost one, which 
turned back into the woods apparently wounded, and 
so it proved, for it ran among the beaters, evidently 
having lost its head, and was soon despatched among 
dogs, men and guns. He was a stag also, and as I 
claimed to have shot him, I may say that I had the 
luck to shoot a brace of splendid stags right and left. 
There is not a sportsman in Europe who would not 
have been delighted at such a chance of red deer like 
these ; such as are not seen anywhere except in Asia 
Minor. The largest one had nineteen points to his 
antlers, weighed when cleaned a hundred and fifteen 
okes, equal to three hundred and twenty pounds 
English measure, and certainly was the largest stag 
I have ever met with, either in Scotland or in Austria. 
During the sixteen years that I have passed in the 
East I have only succeeded in killing four of these 
splendid animals. This I attribute very much to 
the want of proper deerhounds, which unfortunately I 
have not been able to procure. 

The crowd of beaters make so much noise that 
the deer slip away at the sides of the thick covers 



SPORT IN TURKEY 241 

unseen, whereas dogs would drive them more in a 
straight line towards the shooters if they are properly- 
posted. In addition to this, it is always a great 
advantage when the hounds give tongue, and so 
warn the sportsman of the whereabouts of the game. 
These hounds, called * colpoys,' can be procured in 
Roumania and Hungary. There is another descrip- 
tion of deer found near the sea-coast in some parts 
of Asia Minor, which I will describe. It is in fact 
the pure wild fallow deer that stocks the parks of 
Europe, and if I am rightly informed is only to be 
found wild in Asia Minor, and even there it is 
rare. 

I understand that in India or in Africa, where 
there are hundreds of different sorts of deer, the real 
fallow is not to be found. While shooting at a place 
called Camaris, near to Gallipoli, two years since, 
I discovered several herds of these deer, beautiful 
creatures, wild as hawks, and accordingly laid 
myself out to shoot some of them if possible. I 
tried driving, stalking, and every manoeuvre to cir- 
cumvent them, without success. At last one day 
I started with my beaters to a place where there 
were many tracks of fallow deer. I was posted at a 
sort of small mountain pen, having on one side of 
me a young friend of mine, and at the other a native 



242 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

(these fellows won't go out unless they are allowed to 
carry their guns). 

Shortly after the beaters had begun to halloo, 
a fallow hind glided by between me and my young 
friend, like a ghost. Not a sound in the wood 
gave notice of its approach. It was even quieter in 
its movements than a hare would have been. I put 
up my gun to fire, but seeing my friend's head right 
in the way and in a line with its muzzle, I waited a 
second, but the deer was gone. I had scarcely got 
over my disappointment when I heard the branches 
breaking in the wood very near to me, and suddenly 
a deer sprang right over my head, taking a flying 
leap, like a hunter would do over a fence. 

This unusual action on the part of the deer 
called for unusual action on my part. As he had 
taken a flying leap over my head, I took a flying 
shot at him. a second before he landed on the other 
side of me. The result was that he rolled over like 
a rabbit, shot from underneath through the heart. 
This deer proved to be a very fine specimen of the 
fallow, every point showing him to be of that species, 
except his antlers, which were quite straight. This 
I cannot account for; the natives, who had remarked 
this deer on several occasions feeding with the herd 
of fallow deer, called it the ^ Cassic Boa,' which means 



SPORT IN TURKEY 243 

* straight-horned/ Some time after this I had some 
good sport with the fallow deer. Having got more 
accustomed to their habits, I found that it was of no 
use trying to approach them, their scent being too 
keen, their eyesight too sharp ; the only way to get 
them is by very careful, in fact I may say scientific, 
driving. 

Good boar shooting may be had by going some 
little distance from Constantinople. It usually is 
done either by beaters or with boarhounds ; but I 
have had very good sport at boar while hunting for 
woodcocks and pheasants, in what may be called 
covert shooting —not exactly English covert shooting, 
in wliich almost every tree is known by the keepers, 
but in coverts of great extent, in which there are 
almost impassable thickets, made still more impass- 
able by a well-known bramble called the * wait a 
bit,' a thing that hooks on to your eyelids as you 
pass. 

There it is that in these coverts spaniels, half- 
English, half country-bred dogs, do frequently the 
work of beaters, and it is a strange fact that while 
piggy starts at once from his lair at the approach of 
the boarhounds, he will not budge an inch for the 
little yapping spaniel, whom he treats with contempt. 

I have known many instances when, on hearing a 



244 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

jolly row in the covert, 1 have crawled in on my 
hands and knees, and found a boar being bayed by 
my spaniels — in fact, I have killed more pigs in this 
way than in any other. The danger is that you may 
have your dogs killed by the boar ; this has happened 
to me on one or two occasions, more especially with 
young dogs. 

I had once a cunning old spaniel dog (poor 
* Dick,' well known to most sportsmen out here), who 
has frequently come out of the wood with his mouth 
full of pig's hair, he evidently having torn the hair ofif 
thfe animal while laying in his lair. (Dick was 
never hurt by a pig.) I have often surrounded, with 
my brother sportsmen and myself, large bushes in 
which the piggies were securely hidden, driven them 
out, and shot them as one would do hares or rabbits. 

I have heard a good deal of the danger of pig 
shooting, on account of the savage propensities of the 
animal ; but I have found that, with very rare excep- 
tions, the Anatolian wild boar always runs. It is 
true that they (she or he, the females are the most 
savage) have a nasty knack of giving a sort of jerk 
with their heads, when fighting or even passing an 
enemy, and that jerk means to a man the ripping up 
of his leg from his heel to his thigh, to a dog the 
tearing open of his entrails. 



SPORT JN TURKEY 245 

On one occasion I was out cock shooting, when 
Bome shepherds' dogs in a valley adjoining that in 
which I was walking started a large wild boar, a 
beast they call a ^ solitaire^ from the fact that he is 
always seen after a certain time of life alone. The 
animal made for a ridge dividing the valleys ; on 
getting there he passed along the sky-line, about 
eighty yards from where I was. I changed my 
cartridges and fired a ball at the pig, who rushed 
away, apparently unshot ; on going to the spot, 
however, where he had passed when I fired, I found 
some drops of blood. This blood I traced for about 
half a mile, till I came to a large clump of bushes into 
which my spaniels dashed, evidently close to their 
game. I heard a tremendous row in the bushes, had 
hardly time to prepare when the great beast with his 
eyes all bloodshot and foaming at the mouth rushed 
straight at me. I was on a narrow path, from which 
there was no escape, as the boar was tearing up it, 
followed by the dogs. I fired a ball straight in his 
face, at the distance of about two yards, in spite of 
which he rushed straight on, knocked me clean over, 
and while passing me made the usual dangerously 
effective jerk I have alluded to above, by which he 
cut my hoot from the anMe to the thigh, drew a little 
blood just above and inside of the knee; after which 



246. SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

the boar rushed headlong for about thirty yards and 
dropped dead. I found that my bullet had smashed 
through his forehead straight between the eyes and 
gone into his brain. 

He was an enormous brute, weighing when 
cleaned twenty-one stone ; carrying the finest tusks 
I have seen anywhere as belonging to a wild boar. I 
only had one man with me ; we were what may be 
called eight miles from anywhere. Still I was deter- 
mined not to leave my prize ; so I sent my man for a 
country waggon, and sitting down on my now harm- 
less beast, smoked cigarettes and waited quietly till 
the vehicle came. 

Now, a;pro;pos to wild boar attacking people, I 
am convinced that this animal had no intention of 
attacking me. 

He was, though badly wounded by the first shot, 
running from the dogs, and I got in his way. Voild 
tout ! On only one other occasion I nearly came to 
grief while boar-shooting. On my arriving at a 
Turkish village one night, I was told that there was 
an enormous boar in the neighbourhood, who for 
a long time had been the terror of the country, 
inasmuch as he, accompanied by a large party of the 
pig tribe, had rooted up the crops all round the 
village, destroyed gardens, and tradition even said 



SPORT IN TURKEY 247 

had killed children and eaten them (this latter story 
I don't take in). However, the poor people prayed 
me with tears in their eves to rid them of their 
enemy, which I promised to do if possible. So the 
next morning off we started in the following order : 
first, myself and friends, accompanied by the elders 
of the village armed with old-fashioned guns ; then 
the young men with knives and big sticks, the women 
and children bringing up the rear as lookers-on. I 
and my two friends were escorted into the centre of 
a large wood, in which very original seats in trees had 
been knocked up for us. The object of these seats 
was for our personal safety, but I as a sportsman saw 
at once that to be up a tree was not only advantageous 
in that respect, but also that we should be much more 
invisible, hidden among the branches of a tree, than 
by being stationed on the ground. So we mounted 
our trees, and the beaters went into the woods some 
half a mile from us. I never heard such a row as 
they made when they began the .drive ; they beat 
drums, fired guns, rang bells, and it was evident to 
me that no wild beast would hold to his lair under 
such a torrent of abuse. I found the words they 
were using were curses on the wild boar. I saw two 
or three fallow deer glide past me, with their usual 
ghostlike silence, and shortly afterwards the woods 



248 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

very near me seemed to shake with something coming. 
Suddenly some fifteen to twenty wild boar appeared 
among the bushes, coming straight towards me. The 
first of these was an enormous brute, evidently t}i& 
boar we wanted. 

I heard shots on either side of me from my 
friends, but I kept my eye on the big boar. To my 
astonishment he came right under the tree where I 
was sitting, and stopped to listen. 

He cocked his head on one side, looked all round 
him, but forgot to look up the tree he was quite 
close to, in which was his enemy. 

Taking advantage of this I fired a ball and an 
S.S.G. cartridge into him, before he could make up 
his mind which way to go ; he gave a tremendous 
grunt and rolled over. I had not time to be overjoyed 
at my luck before I found myself rolling on the 
ground alongside of my victim, who, not being dead, 
was by no means a pleasant companion. The fact is 
that the seat on which I had been perched, having 
been very carelessly put up, had given way, and 
down I came from a height of about twelve feet. The 
branches of the tree had broken my fall, but my gun 
had fallen out of my hand and I had sprained my 
ankle, so that I was in rather an awkward position. 
The boar was shot through the spine, and could not 



SPORT IN TURKEY 249 

get along, tliougli Le made frantic efforts to get 
at me. 

It was of no use my calling out for help ; every- 
body was calling out, everybody was excited, firing 
at the lots of pigs that were running about in all 
directions. At the moment when I began to think 
affairs somewhat serious (I tried to get up and walk, 
but could not do so on account of my ankle), as the 
boar was crawling towards me, looking very mis- 
chievous, two great shepherd's dogs arrived on the 
scene, and went straight in for my enemy. Poor 
beast ! He made a gallant fight ; he could hardly 
move, but he could use his head, and he tore one of 
the dogs open in a frightful way ; then two or three 
men came up, but they were afraid to go near to the 
boar. I made them hand me my gun that was lying 
on the ground near me, with which I soon put a stop 
to the battle. Then all the people began to muster 
round their dead enemy, and it was laughable to see 
and hear how they abused and kicked the body of 
the pig. How to get the carcass away was the next 
question. We sent for two waggons and four or ^yq 
Christians (as the Turks won't touch pig), one to 
carry me, the others the boar ; so, after being placed 
in the waggons, we made with piggy a triumphant 
return to the village. Luckily the village was on the 



2SO SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

sea-shore, and my yacht was lying close to the land, 
so I got on board comfortably ; but it was several 
days before I could walk. 

I believe that that pig was nasty , and would have 
given me the jerk if he could have done so. Five 
other boar were killed on that occasion, one of my 
friends killing two ; but I had the honour of killing 
the boar of the period in that part of the world. 
While referring to that neighbourhood, I would men- 
tion that it was within five miles of the place I have 
been writing about that poor Captain Selby, of H.M.S. 
* Rapid,' was killed, some two years since. There 
are people who think that he was attacked and mur- 
dered by robbers. Such is not the case ; his death 
was a most unfortunate occurrence brought on by a 
misunderstanding. 

It is true that the man who shot poor Selby was 
an ignorant savage, but there was no premeditation. 
It was a word and a blow. The latter, though inex- 
cusable to the last degree, was given by a ruffian whose 
class are in the habit of shooting and stabbing one 
another (let alone strangers, whom they detest) at 
the slightest provocation. They are not natives of 
Turkey, but come of strange tribes who live far 
away and are hired to guard the sheep in the winter 
months, returning to their homes in the summer. I 



SPORT IN TURKEY 251 

went myself to the spot where the sad occurrence 
took place shortly afterwards, and found the people 
very penitent and very frightened. Let us hope that 
the punishment awarded to the principal actors in 
the sad affair will be a salutary warning for the future. 

As brigandage may be considered as in some way 
connected with sporting, inasmuch as many refrain 
from going out shooting when they fear being robbed 
and murdered, I will say a few words about brigand- 
age in Anatolia. 

I have been for seventeen years an ardent lover 
of sport in Turkey, and have generally shot in Asia 
Minor. I have slept in villages that were supposed 
to be inhabited by brigands. I have been almost 
alone among an armed crowd of beaters, all of whom 
had the reputation of being robbers, but I have 
never been robbed or threatened with robbery. 
Perhaps there exists a sort of sympathy between 
brigands and sportsmen, for I cannot call to mind any 
instance of a sportsman being robbed. It is true that 
sometimes a fat financier, or rich rentier, who may 
have called himself a sportsman, has been carried off 
and ransom demanded for him, but a real sportsman 
never. 

It is true that in some of the villages where dwell 
the peoples of a nation I am not supposed to love. 



252 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

you are liable to and probably will be eocploite to a 
considerable extent in the way of pilfering cartridges, 
&c., but it is their nature to. So, brother sportsmen, 
when you come out here take your abode in Turkish 
villages. 



CHAPTER XXI 

SPORT AND SOCIETY. 

I HAVE mentioned, in what I have written above 
relating to sport, the name of a somewhat celebrated 
spaniel of mine, whose name was * Dick.* 

The commencement of this bow-wow's career was 
as strange as the many adventures he afterwards went 
through. When he was quite a young dog, he once 
worked with me all day in ice and snow, and at last 
fell down lifeless. A heavy snowstorm was raging, 
and as poor Dick seemed quite dead, we made him a 
grave in the snow and covered him up with leaves 
and bushes. We accomplished this with difficulty, 
on account of the blinding snow and the streams 
that were much swollen by torrents from the moun- 
tains. Dick's burial-place was about eight miles from 
where the vessel was lying. We all got on board 
that night. I was deeply grieved at the loss of the 
dog, who had already shown great promise as a first- 



254 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

class sporting clog, a most difficult thing to procure 
in this country. "What was our astonishment the 
next morning at daylight to see Dick on the beach, 
making piteous howls to draw attention to his where- 
abouts. He was warmly welcomed, as may be sup- 
posed ; he did not seem a bit the worse for his brief 
sojourn in the grave, and went out shooting again 
the same day as happy as ever. This enthusiastic 
little spaniel was always doing strange things; he 
followed every fox and every badger into their holes, 
and we have had, time after time, to dig him out 
covered^ with blood and fearfully mauled, after 
having passed perhaps twenty-four hours in the 
earth. 

Mr. Dick generally hunted alone, occasionally 
coming near to see that I was all right. Now this 
sounds bad for Dick's qualities as a sporting dog, but 
such a dog is necessary in a thickly-wooded region 
such as I shot in, when one wants to know what is in 
the country. 

Dick, when he found anything, barked loudly ; 
and this drew attention to the fact that there was 
game in that quarter. Sometimes, of course, he drove 
the game away ; at others he drove it towards me. 
At all events he went to places where I never could 
have gone. On one occasion I heard a great noise 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 255 

among some long reeds near a lake were I was duck 
shooting — Dick barking, some other animal making a 
strange noise. This went on so long that at last I 
went to see what was the matter. After much 
trouble I got into the reeds and approached the noise, 
which was momentarily getting worse. On coming 
close I found an animal about Dick's size standing 
on its hind legs and fighting with its fore paws, Dick 
covered with blood, fighting hard and watching an 
opportunity to close with his enemy. On my approach 
the animal dropped on to fore paws and endeavoured 
to escape, on which Dick jumped on to him, thus 
making it very difficult for me to use my gun. 
However, at last, by watching my opportunity, I 
fired a shot which disposed of the fighting powers of 
the beast, which turned out to be a very large badger. 
I never could understand what he was doing so far 
away from his place of refuge. Was he after ducks, 
or what ? The animal was at least a quarter of a mile 
away from dry land, being in the middle of a marsh 
overgrown with reeds. Another of Mr. Dick's adven- 
tures ended more unfortunately for him, as I fear he 
never got over its effects. I again, as on the last 
occasion, heard him evidently furiously engaged with 
something in a thick wood. After crawling on my 
hands and knees for some time, I found Dick and 



256 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

two other of my spaniels in furious combat with an 
enormous wild cat, who when I came up was holding 
her own against the dogs. The beast got her back 
against a tree, and was fighting all three dogs, keeping 
them at a respectful distance. My man seized a 
piece of wood, more like a little tree than a stick, and 
made a blow at the cat, which blow unfortunately 
came down with great force on Dick's head. The 
poor dog lay senseless for some time, and then 
crawled away, seeming to say, 'I'll have nothing 
more to do with you,' He never recovered that blow, 
and became quite a different dog, dying some months 
afterwards. 

The feathered game shooting is very good in the 
neighbourhood of Constantinople. Pheasants, though 
rare, may be obtained five or six in a day. I have 
killed fifteen to my own gun, and with a party of 
three we bagged sixty-six in three days. 

Snipe shooting is also very good. An idea of the 
bags that may be made will be seen when I say that at 
Besika Bay, close to the Dardanelles, I killed in three 
days three hundred and three snipe, an average of one 
hundred and one a day. When there is snow lying 
on the hills there are plenty of cock ; myself and two 
friends having killed in three days two hundred and 
ninety-eight long bills. 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 257 

My best bag in cock Las been sixty-three in one 
day's shooting alone. I have lately taken to punting 
after ducks, and have been very successful. One gets 
twenty to thirty a day, and occasionally a swan. I once 
killed four of the latter with one shot from . my punt 
gun (one of Holland & Holland's). Hares are not 
very numerous ; to get tlu*ee or four in a day is counted 
good luck>5 but one generally picks up one or two 
during a day's shooting. Thus the sum of what you 
have in this country is red deer, fallow deer, roe 
deer, pigs, wolves, and bears (as to the latter, rare), 
hares, pheasants, cocks, snipe, quails, and ducks; 
so that a man who lays himself out for sport and 
has a yacht can have plenty of amusement between 
September and March. 

The coast of Karamania, taking in all the coast 
from some distance below Smyrna, passing Rhodes 
and so on to the Gulf of Ayas, affords all the way 
along capital sport to yachting men. For example, 
in the large gulfs of Boudroum and Marmorice, 
capital anchorage will be found, and a country almost 
virgin as far as sport is concerned. 

Some years since, while commanding an English 

ship-of-war, I had the good fortune to be sent 

on a roving commission against pirates that were 

supposed to infest that coast. Somehow I always 

12 



258 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

imagined tliat pirates were more or less sportsmen, 
so I hunted for them in places that looked gamey, 
and thus made the acquaintance of many almost 
unknown, or at all events unfrequented, harbours and 
creeks, in which I had famous sport. On the coast 
of Karamania the ibex is to be found in considerable 
quantities ; the red-legged partridge and the fran- 
colin are also very abundant, and give capital sport. 

There are also at the head of the gulf I have 
alluded to large marshes for duck and snipe. The 
most celebrated, because the best known place in the 
part I am alluding to, is the Gulf of Ayas, into which 
runs the well-known (to all naval sportsmen) river 
called the Jihoon. A yacht must anchor at some dis- 
tance off the entrance of this river^ but the anchorage 
is quite safe in all weathers. Getting over the bar of 
the river is a matter at times of considerable difficulty, 
but once inside the bar you are in the paradise of 
shooting. A small steam launch is necessary to stem 
the strong current, and to tow another boat up with 
tents, provisions, &c. It is true that in my time we 
had no steam launches, and I shall not forget the 
hard work we had to take two boats sufficiently far 
up the river to get well into the shooting grounds, 
and even after two days' struggling we did not arrive 
so far as I should have wished (we, in fact, only got 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 259 

four miles up the stream. Still we had some rare sport, 
the more especially with pigs and francolin. The 
morning after we had pitched our tents some wander- 
ing Arabs came to us and offered to beat the woods, 
which they declared to be full of wild boar. They 
told us that the habit of these animals was, on being 
driven, to take to the river and swim to the other 
side ; so we placed our guns along the banks and 
told the boat to guard the river from pigs swimming 
across, and try to stop them as best they could. The 
guns available for the shore work consisted of myself 
and two friends and my coxswain, who was armed 
with a ship's rifle. The Arabs went into the bush 
on horseback ; the beat had hardly begun when a 
lot of pigs were started, all making for the river ; 
three of these were knocked over. As they ap- 
proached several others dashed into the river, and a 
most amusing hunt was made after them by the 
sailors. Not being armed with rifles, their weapons 
of ofience against piggy were revolvers, ropes, and 
the stretchers of the boats. 

There was, as may be supposed, great excitement 
among the men when the pigs took to the water ; 
they at once went at them, firing revolvers, pulling 
after them as they swam, using language not allowed 
in these refined days in the navy; and, before we got 



26o SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

to the scene of action they had lassoed as it were 
two fine pigs, and tied them to trees on the riverside, 
and when we arrived were firing their revolvers at 
them apparently with very little effect ; however, we 
soon gave the animals the cow^g de grace. Thus we 
killed five pigs in our first drive. We took the liver, 
alias fry, out of the pigs to eat (it is most excellent), 
cut off the heads of the tuskers, and hung the re- 
maining parts on a tree to wait our return, changing 
our camp further up the river the same night. The 
next morning early I took a stroll into the woods by 
myself; while looking about me I saw what I thought 
was a large animal sleeping in the bushes. I began 
accordingly to stalk him. I got within eighty yards, 
put my gun up to shoot, but as I could not pitch on 
a vital part to aim at, only seeing a mass of what 
was evidently an animal rolled up, I went nearer and 
nearer ; in fact, little by little, I got within ten yards 
of the quarry ; then I fired a ball into what I now 
saw was a huge pig. No move ! What did it mean ? 
I could not have killed it sleeping. However, I 
took courage and went close and put my hand on 
the beast; what should it be but an immense boar 
lying dead in his lair. He must have died months 
before I found him, as the skin fell to pieces on being 
touched, the hair into powder ; his head was a 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 261 

splendid one, but I could only save the jawbones, in 
which, were a grand pair of tusks. The moral of this 
was that pigs, like everything else, die — sometimes 
quietly in their beds, be that retreat only a lair in 
the forest ; but it is a rare occurrence to find relics 
of wild animals in so perfect a state. I fancy their 
friends and relations generally eat them. The bed 
or lair he was lying in was a most snug spot, and 
he would have been quite invisible had not some of 
the brushwood been burnt away, Arab fashion, a 
short time before I found him. 

I must warn any sportsman intending to shoot 
in the Jihoon river that the wandering Arabs who 
are to be found there, though not brigands of a high 
order, are petty thieves to the last degree. We were 
always obliged to keep a watch in our tents, leaving 
a man behind in charge when we went on shooting 
excursions. On one occasion we found on our return 
that our watchman had captured an old woman whom 
he caught in the act of creeping under the tent and 
stealing a spoon. I had myself a curious adventure. 
An Arab told me that he knew where a boar was 
lying in the long grass, and that he would take me 
to the spot if I would accompany him. We started 
off together, and on getting well into the wood we 
went on our hands and knees, crawling under the 



262 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

trees Jmd brushwood, towards tlie spot where the 
boar was supposed to be. We had to keep quite close 
together. I carried round my neck a very pretty 
silver whistle, which I prized exceedingly. Suddenly, 
when we were in a very thick part of the bush, the 
Arab seized hold of my whistle and held it tight. I 
immediately grasped the hand that held the whistle ; 
this I did with my right hand holding his left. He, 
with his right hand, tried to draw a knife. I, with 
my left, tried to get my gun to bear on him, but 
there was so little room to spare on account of the 
thick bush that both our operations were difficult of 
performance. As soon as I saw him trying to draw 
a knife, I dropped the hand with the whistle, and 
seized that with which he tried to draw the knife. 
Thus the play went on for two or three minutes ; 
neither of us spoke, all our energies were directed on 
our different games. At last, by turning round a 
little, I succeeded in giving him a tremendous kick, 
which rolled him over on his back ; then my gun 
was free, and I held it to his head, upon which he 
took an attitude of supplication on his knees, and 
prayed for quarter. I made him give me his knife, 
go on all-fours again, and creep before me out of the 
wood. This was a most audacious attempt at petty 
robbery. I should like to have peppered him a little, 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 263 

but he was so penitent, I decided to let him go. I 
don't think he meant to stab me ; I think he merely 
wanted to cut the string that held the whistle. 
These men were not generally murderers. On this 
trip we killed twelve pigs, a hundred and seven 
francolin, one lynx, and lots of cock and ducks. 
Coming back to the ship I, and those with me in my 
boat, very nearly came to utter grief. There was a 
good deal of sea on the bar of the river. The cutter 
that was with me got over all safe, but my whale- 
boat being loaded heavily with pigs, &c., refused to 
rise with the waves, and not doing so, the conse- 
quences were that she filled and capsized. We had 
all to jump and make for the shore, a distance of 
nearly a mile, being in the greatest danger while 
doing so of getting into the current of the river. 
Any one who had done this must have been washed 
away and drowned; however, thank goodness, all 
hands were saved. The whale-boat was afterwards 
picked up, having been washed out to sea, but we 
lost all tents, spare guns, &c. ; the pigs remained in 
the boat, as they were stowed under the thwarts, and 
hadn't room to float out ; so, friends, take warning 
of the bar of the Jihoon river. 

It was about this time that I received a report 
from some American missionaries to the effect that 



264 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

one of their comrades had been robbed and murdered 
by some Arabs who inhabited the mountains near 
Alexandretta, people whose evil deeds had for some 
time past brought them into notoriety. Although I 
was under orders to join the commander-in-chief, I 
took it upon myself to remain and assist the Americans 
in hunting down if possible the murderers of their 
comrade. 

I confess I was made more zealous in the cause 
from hearing that there were * lots of big game on 
the hills.' I invited two or three of these American 
missionaries to join my mess, and off we went to look 
for the murderers. As this is a chapter on shooting, 
I will as briefly as possible state what we did in the 
official way. In the first place we anchored at the 
head of the Gulf of Ayas, near a large town where 
resided the chief authority of the neighbourhood in 
which the murder had been committed. I landed 
with the missionaries, several of my officers, and some 
marines to act as an escort, and paid an official visit 
to this gentleman, who was called the caimakam, or 
chief magistrate. This great man told us that we 
should certainly with his assistance find the people 
we were after. He suggested that we should accom- 
pany him with a small body of our men, to which he 
could add some of his zeptiehs ; that thus accompanied 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 265 

he would go to a place on the hill where we should 
find what we wanted. He said that a little ^ back- 
sheesh ' was necessary. This latter we found, and the 
next day we started. 

We ascended amongst the most magnificent 
wooded hills I ever saw. ' Such places for game ! * 
thought I, till at last we halted at a clump of splendid 
oak trees. Under one of these a grand luncheon was 
spread, of which we were all invited to partake. 
During the luncheon a man rushed up to our host 
and whispered in his ear something which seemed to 
give him great satisfaction, for he at once smilingly 
said, * Captain, I have found the men you are after ; ' 
and sure enough we saw approaching two ruffianly 
looking fellows, tied together, and being dragged 
along by men on horseback. I hope they were the 
right men. I will presume that they were, but they 
had been very quick in catching them. After my 
missionary friend who spoke their language had in- 
terrogated the prisoners, he requested that they 
might be kept apart, which was done, and they were 
given in charge of separate sentinels, to whose horses 
they were tied. We then returned to our lunch, our 
pipes, and our cofiee. Suddenly we heard a pistol 
shot, a rush, and a scream from the neighbourhood of 
the prisoners. It seems that one of them had drawn 



266 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

the pistol from his guardian's belt, shot him dead, 
jumped on to the horse, and galloped off. Every- 
body, marines and all, tried to follow. Such a row 
never was heard ; but the man knew the country, 
and we saw him no more. I was rather glad, for he 
must have been a plucky fellow. 

The other prisoner was doubly secured and taken 
down to the village. He was afterwards hanged, so 
justice was satisfied and my work finished. I got a 
letter of thanks from the President of the United 
States, of which I was and am still very proud, and 
meant to have used had blockade-running brought me 
•to grief. 

This business being satisfactorily concluded, I 
asked my friend the caimakam if there was any big 
game to be had. His answer was, ' Chok au Va,' 
which meant there was plenty : and he undertook to 
beat the neighbouring woods that very day with his 
men. We were told that there were plenty of roe 
deer, foxes, jackals, &c., so we loaded our guns with 
S.S.Gr. cartridges (which means, I may tell it to the 
uninitiated, buck-shot). We were stationed on the 
outskirts of a splendid oak wood that looked like 
holding any mortal thing in the way of game. Soon 
as the beaters set to work cocks began to fly about in 
all directions, but we had an instinct that something 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 267 

more important would turn up, so took no notice of 
feathered game. I was watching close, trying to look 
through almost impenetrable brushwood, when I 
heard a rustling sort of noise near me, and suddenly 
I caught sight of something which almost made my 
hair stand on end — a great tiger leopard, creeping, 
stealthily as a cat, out of the wood, within twenty 
yards of where I was standing. Fortunately he did 
not look my way. What was I to do ? My gun, as 
I said, was loaded with buck-shot ; a miss or a wound 
would have been sure to bring the brute on top of 
me. However, I did not hesitate more than a couple 
of seconds ; I pointed my gun at his heart just behind 
the shoulder, and pulled the trigger. The whole 
charge went straight where I pointed it, and the 
tiger rolled over on his back. I put a ball into my 
gun and approached him very gingerly. When I 
got close to him I found he hadn't a kick in him. 
His claws were crunched up as if grasping something, 
his grand eyes were growing dim, and though, to 
make all sure, I fired a ball into his head, it was not 
necessary, as I found nine buckshot in the heart. He 
was a splendid beast, eleven feet from tip of tail 
to end of nose. It was said that he had killed a 
shepherd some days before, so he deserved his fate. 
Before returning to the ship that evening, we 



268 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

arranged that tlie Arabs should turn out the next day 
to drive the covers on the beach near the ship, which 
were supposed to hold deer and pigs. I must men- 
tion that these Arabs are very different to the wan- 
dering tribes we had lately been amongst ; they are 
warlike, unscrupulous, and dishonest. We made an 
arrangement with them that all game killed should 
belong to us, the beaters being paid in gunpowder, 
which they prized very much. The Arabs thought 
we should only find pig, and as Mussulmen won't 
touch it, the bargain was considered satisfactory to 
both parties. 

It so happened that at the first drive a very 
fine deer, of a species I had never seen before, broke 
cover. I had the luck to shoot him, and as the ship 
was lying very near, we hailed her for a boat in 
which to send off our game. I saw a good deal of 
whispering among the Arabs, who, after some dis- 
cussion, informed us through one of the missionaries, 
who kindly acted as interpreter, that the deer must 
belong to them, as they only promised to give the 
pigs, and they openly declared we should not take it 
on board. I wasn't going to stand this, for many 
reasons. In the first place it was necessary to show 
these people that we were their masters, secondly, 
by our agreement the deer was ours. When the 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 269 

boat (a cutter with ten men unarmed) had come on 
shore, I gave orders for the men to return and bring 
their arms and ten marines, also armed. The Arabs, 
of whom there were about one hundred armed to the 
teeth, seemed firm in their decision; so was I. When 
I pointed to my armed men, who were by this time 
landing, they pointed with the same significant ges- 
tures to their armed men. At this critical moment, 
my first lieutenant, seeing that something was wrong, 
fired a shell right over our heads to intimidate the 
Arabs, and the result showed that it had that effect. 
The deer was lying on the beach. I ordered the 
marines to form a cordon round him, and the sailors 
to bring up the boat stretchers on which to lay the 
animal. When all was ready I gave the command 
to carry it away and put it in the boat. The Arabs 
cocked their muskets and made a move forward ; the 
marines turned and faced them. I thought we were 
in for a fight ; however, the bearers carried off their 
charge and placed it in the boat, when to my astonish- 
ment the Arab chief put down his musket and came and 
made his salaam to me, asking if he might be allowed 
to visit the ship. I, of course, was delighted. We 
took him and several of his friends on board, and the 
visit ended in their all getting roaring drunk, being 
hoisted over the ship's side and landed on the beach. 



270 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

So passed off wliat might have been a serious affair. 
I might have become involved in a long explanation 
to show that I was right in protecting my game by 
armed force, but under all the circumstances I feel 
that I was fully justified in doing so. 

I should like before finishing these sketches to 
say something about the society of Constantinople. 
As one cannot always be out shooting, it is very 
important to our happiness to have something to fall 
back upon in the social way. I was told once by a 
very great friend of mine, who saw that I was inclined 
to fret, ^ to take everything as a joke.' If one's liver 
is in good order it is very easy to do so, but some- 
times the contrary is the case, and it makes one at 
times quite savage to see the airs that are temporarily 
put on by those that form the so-called upper or 
diplomatic society of Pera. Here .aire really ami- 
able people so utterly spoilt by the exalted idea 
of their own dignity that they become absolute 
bores, especially to any one accustomed to good 
society. IS. you go to a soiree you see grouped 
together, for fear of contamination with the out- 
siders (without which a successful party cannot be 
formed), the members of the so-called * sacred circle,' 
talking to each other in dignified (or undignified, as 
the case may be judged) whispers. While all are 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 271 

cheerful and gay, you scarcely see a smile on the 
countenances of these tremendous swells. 

If you go in the street you will meet a creature 
dressed in most gorgeous apparel, armed to the teeth 
with firearms that probably won't go ofi", knives 
and daggers covered with precious stones, walking 
solemnly along. If you look carefully among the 
crowd in his wake you will discover some one, or 
ones, walking with an indignant swagger at being 
hustled by the vulgar crowd. The man in gold, 
armed to the teeth, is what is called a cavass, and 
these swells behind are the representatives, male or 
female, of some foreign potentate, taking a walk. It 
would be quite infra dig, to go without one of these 
useless appendages. Again, if an individual not 
belonging to the * sacred circle' meets a foreign 
representative who condescends to speak to him, 
and while he is doing so another member of an 
embassy 'heaves in sight,' the first swell will 
immediately sheer ofi", looking ashamed at having so 
far forgotten himself as to be seen speaking to any 
one outside * his circle.' You may occasionally be 
invited to the houses of these exalted personages, 
but there is always an implied condescension in their 
attitude which tends to negative the effect of their 
good intentions. And all this is a great pity, because 



272 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

these people must be tired of each other, and would 
find quite as much intelligence outside as inside their 
circle. Besides, there are charming people among 
them who would ornament any society, but their ill- 
acted airs of ' brief authority ' quite spoil them, and 
make them, as I said, bores to themselves and to 
those who would be their friends. 

I will, in proof of what I say, relate a short anec- 
dote as to what occurred in the house of a friend of 
mine. 

This friend gave a very large fancy dress ball, at 
which two or three hundred people were present. 
The ball was in every way a success, but as the giver 
did not belong to the * sacred circle,' the members of 
that body only condescended to go for a short time. 
I have no doubt (for there are lots of jolly people 
among them) that they would have liked to have 
stopped much longer, but it was not thought * digni- 
fied.' So, after a short time, most of the ' sacred 
circle' sneaked away. One of them who had two 
charming daughters, devoted to dancing, not having 
noticed the departure of the great people till that 
moment, came hurriedly to my friend and said, * Good- 
night, I must gOy every one is gone.' * Every one ? ' 
said my friend, ' why, look at the rooms, there are at 
least two hundred people dancing and amusing them- 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 273 

selves.' 'Yes, I see/ said tlie diplomat (he was 
rather a small one), ' but I mean the ambassadors 
and their parties are gone, so I must go ; but for 
once, to please you, I'll leave my daughters.' I 
believe my friend answered, * You may go to the d— 1.' 
This is a fact, and shows the unfortunate system that 
ruins to a great extent the sociability of society in 

Pera. 

Now it is true that all these people are called 
barons, counts, viscounts, &c., but my friend belongs 
to a right good family, and would have been more 
than the equal of many of them had they met in 
Paris, London, St. Petersburg, Berlin, or Vienna. 
The title of baron, &c., seems to me to be always 
given to a diplomat ex-officio. However, barons or 
no barons, the rule of exclusiveness laid do^vn by 
the ' sacred circle' at Constantinople is to be deplored, 
as it injures society sadly. Few large parties are 
given now except those got up by the great people. 
When an outsider sends out invitations for a ball, 
or any other kind of reunion^ the negotiations that go 
on between the swells as to whether they should patro- 
nise it or not are comical in the extreme. Should 
ever so slight an omission in the form of these invi- 
tations, or a mere accident in the delivery thereof, 
appear to them to touch their dignity, they will 



274 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

probably all absent themselves in a body, even were it 
question of tbe marriage or tbe funeral of one of tbeir 
oldest and most respectable acquaintances. Not being 
one of them, and not caring very mucb for artificial 
society, I look on witli great amusement. Some one 
gave great offence on a late occasion, wbile describing 
society in Pera, by suggesting that if there were a 
European court here things would be very different ; 
so they might. People would then find their level, 
as they do in other capitals. 

I feel very sorry for the members of the ' sacred 
circle.' Not only do they lose much now, but it will 
be awkward for them when they go back from whence 
they came. A short time ago I asked a very high 
and mighty personage if she did not fear the change 
that must come when she left Constantinople. She 
answered with great frankness: *I feel that most 
of what you say is correct, but before I came here 
I was very small fry ; now I know I am a swell, 
and mean to enjoy myself.' She was like those 
reckless ones who cried : ^ Let us eat and drink, for 
to-morrow we die.' I have seen a stand made by 
one or two of these mighty ones, an attempt to break 
down the system of pompous exclusiveness, but that 
attempt unfortunately failed. 

I must say that the foreign colonies in Pera are 



SPORT AND SOCIETY 275 

much to blame, for they worship with all their minds 
and all their strength their different chiefs and 
chieftainesses, and human nature being weak, &c. 
&c. 

Apart from the ' sacred circle ' there is a nice little 
society where people go in for enjoying themselves, 
and succeed in doing so very comfortably ; but even 
there, with some few exceptions, there is that secret 
longing for one or two of the swells — even a junior 
secretary of an embassy is looked upon as a desidera- 
tum. 

The Greeks keep very much to themselves ; so do 
the Armenians. The Turks are exceedingly fond of 
going into society, but their domestic arrangements 
tend to prevent their entertaining. 

His Majesty the Sultan frequently invites Euro- 
pean ladies to his dinner parties, and those who have 
had that honour must have thoroughly enjoyed the 
delicious music and the pleasant entertainments after 
dinner at the Palace of Yildiz. I don't see why His 
Imperial Majesty's example is not followed by some 
of his subjects ; perhaps we may yet come to that 
by-and-by. 

In what I have said about society in Pera I have 
not meant to be personal or offensive in any way. 
My object has been to show up a rotten system 



276 SKETCHES FROM MY LIFE 

wliereby everybody suffers. I have some remote 
hope that things may change for the better, espe- 
cially as one of the chief promoters of the system has 
now left Constantinople. 

If I bring these pages to a somewhat abrupt 
conclusion, it is because I have had the bad luck to 
get a chill out shooting, and have been somewhat 
seriously ill. However, I have hope that there is 
* life in the old dog yet,' and that I may before long 
have some other adventures of a similar description 
to add to these ^ uavarnished sketches ' of my life. 



EXTRACT FROM THE 'DAILY TELEGRAPH; 
June 21, 1886. 

* There will be some slight and melancholy satisfac- 
tion to his sorrowing family, and his many friends, in 
the knowledge of the fact that Hobart Pasha, a short 
time before his death, had prepared for publication a 
memoir of his stirring life and adventures. The only 
fault, if fault there be, in this record, may lie in the 
circumstance that its readers may think it too brief. At 
all events, we shall be told what Hobart had been about 
ever since the year 1836. It is certain that he never 
was idle. Even before he had passed his examination for 
lieutenant, he had distinguished himself while serving in 
the squadron told off to suppress the slave trade in 
Brazilian waters : and in those days our naval operations 
against the Portuguese traders in " blackbirds " involved 
considerable peril to life and limb. 

* Eighteen years, however, elapsed before Captain 
Augustus Hobart was able to shot his guns in view of 
the broadside of a European foe; He had previously 
enjoyed two years' half-holiday at home ; that is to say, 
he had been appointed, as a reward for his services in 
South America, to a lieutenancy onboard the Royal yacht, 
the Victoria and Albert, then commanded by the late 
Adolphus Fitz- Clarence. But in the historically momen- 



278 EXTRACT FROM 

tous year 1854 there was serious business to be done by 
Lieutenant — now Commander — Hobart. A diplomatic 
squabble between France and Russia about the Holy 
Places in Palestine developed into an angry quarrel 
between the Emperor Nicholas, France, and England. 
We went to war with Kussia. A magnificent squadron 
of British first-rates was despatched to the Black Sea with 
the avowed object of destroying the Russian Fleet, 
which had characteristically annihilated the Turkish 
Fleet in the harbour of Sinope. We did not do much in 
the Black Sea beyond running the Tiger on shore, where 
her crew were captured by the Muscovites. We bom- 
barded Odessa perfunctorily, and precisely in that portion 
of the city where our shot and shell could do the least 
harm. We did not destroy the Russian Fleet, for the 
sufficinsf reason that the Russian Commander-in-Chief 
sank all his three-deckers full fathom five in the harbour 
of Sebastopol. 

*In the Baltic, however, there was a little more 
fighting to show for the many millions sterling wrung 
from the British taxpayer. To the coasts of Finland 
was sent a splendid Armada, commanded by one of the 
bravest seamen that ever adorned the glorious muster- 
roll of the Royal Navy of England, Admiral Sir Charles 
Napier. Under his orders was Captain Augustus 
Hobart, in command of Her Majesty's ship Driver. 
" Lads, sharpen your cutlasses ! " thus began the memor- 
able manifesto addressed by the hero of St. Jean d'Acre 
to the gallant tars. The Baltic fleet was to do wonders. 
The lads, with their cutlasses very well sharpened, went 
aboard the Russian war-ships before Cronstadt, stormed 
the seven forts which guard the entrance to that harbour, 
and sailed up the Neva even to St. Petersburg itself. It 



THE 'DAILY TELEGRAPH' 279 

is true that ere the war was over a spy informed Lord 
Augustus Loftus, then Pier Majesty's Ambassador at 
Berlin, that a certain channel or waterway existed 
unguarded by any fort at all, by which a British flotilla 
with muffled oars could have got quietly into the Neva 
without taking the trouble to destroy the Russian fleet 
or to blow the seven forts of Cronstadt into the air. The 
revelations of the spy went for nothing ; and, after the 
cutlasses of the lads in blue-jackets had been sharpened 
to a razor-like degree of keenness, those blades, for some 
occult reason, were not allowed to cut deep enough ; the 
only cutting — and running into the bargain — being done 
by the Russian fleet, which, safely ensconced in the 
harbour of Cronstadt, defied us from behind the walls 
of fortresses which we did not care to bombard. Still, 
the Baltic fleet was not wholly idle. There was some 
fighting and some advantage gained over the Russians 
at Helsingfors, at Arbo, and notably at Bomarsund. In 
all these engagements Commander Hobart distinguished 
himself — so brilliantly, indeed, as to be named with high 
approval in official despatches. 

* Soldiers in peace. Bacon has remarked, are like 
chimneys in summer. Hobart seemed resolved that the 
aphorism quoted by Francis of Yerulam should not be 
verified in the case of sailors. The fire of the Earl of 
Buckinghamshire's son was always alight, and he became, 
during the great Civil War in America the boldest of block- 
ade-runners. When the Confederacy collapsed Hobart, 
by this time a Post- Captain, received overtures of employ- 
ment from the Turkish Government, and in 1868 he was 
appointed, as Admiral Slade had been before him, to a 
high command in the Ottoman Navy. It was a curious 
illustration of the various turns of fate here below to find 



28o EXTRACT FROM 

in 1869 the Sultan, the Commander of the Faithful, 
sending the Giaour Hobart Pasha, the erst Secesh 
blockade-runner, to the island of Crete to put down 
blockade-running on the part of the intensely patriotic 
but occasionally troublesome Greeks. Hobart was 
entrusted with unlimited powers, and he accomplished 
his mission with so much vigour and with so much skill 
as to insure the good graces of the Porte, and he soon 
rose to be Inspector-General of the Imperial Ottoman 
Navy. Although his name was necessarily erased from 
the list of the Koyal Navy when he definitely threw in 
his lot with the Sultan on the breaking out of the Turko- 
Russian war, all English admirers of pluck and daring 
were glad to learn at a comparatively recent period that 
the Honourable Augustus Charles Hobart Hampden had 
been reinstated by Royal command in his rank in the 
British Navy. 

* It was the good fortune of the distinguished mari- 
time commander just deceased, to win golden opinions 
from all sorts of peoples, and his name and prowess will 
be as cordially remembered in his native land, and in the 
Southern States of America, as on the shores of the 
Bospfe^i^U^s and the Golden Horn. 

*A thorough Englishman at heart, he was none 
the less a fervent philo-Turk in politics and convictions, 
and latterly devoted his talents and his life to the 
defence of the integrity of the Ottoman Empire. As 
ready with his pen as with his sword, he was a clear, 
trenchant, vigorous writer, and could talk on paper as 
fluently and as cogently about ironclads and torpedoes 
as about the wrongs of the natives of Lazistan, the 
necessity of upholding the integrity of the Turkish 
Empire, and of circumventing the dark and crooked 



THE 'DAILY TELEGRAPH' 281 

wiles of Russian diplomacy. Altogether Augustus 
Charles Hobart was a remarkable man — ^bluff, bold, 
dashing, and somewhat dogged. There was in his com- 
position something of the mediaeval " condottiere," and a 
good deal more of that Dugald Dalgetty whom Scott 
drew. Gustavus Adolphus would have made much of 
Hobart ; the great Czarina, Catherine II., would have 
appointed him Commander-in-Chief of her fleet, and 
covered him with honours, even as she did her Scotch 
Admiral Gleig, and that other yet more famous sea-dog, 
king of corsairs, Paul Jones. It would be unjust to 
sneer at Hobart as a mercenary. His was no more a 
hired sword than were the blades of Schomberg and 
Berwick, of Maurice de Saxe and Eugene of Savoy. 
When there was fighting to be done Hobart liked to be 
in it — that is all. Of the fearless, dashing, adventurous 
Englishman, ready to go anywhere and do anything, 
Hobart was a brilliantly representative type. Originally 
endowed with a most vigorous physique, his constitution 
became sapped at last by long years of hardship and 
fatigue incident to the vicissitudes of a daring, adventu- 
rous career. He left Constantinople on leave of absence 
some months ago to recruit his shattered health, and spent 
several weeks at the Riviera. But it would seem that 
he experienced little relief from the delicious climate of 
the South of France, and it was on his homeward 
journey to Constantinople that this brave and upright 
British worthy breathed his last. The immediate cause 
of his death was, it is stated, an affection of the heart, a 
term covering a vast extent of unexplored ground. It 
would be nearer the truth to say that the frame of 
Augustus Charles Hobart was literally worn out by 
travel and exposure and hard work of every kind which 

13 



282 EXTRACT FROM 'DAILY TELEGRAPH' 

had been his lot, with but brief intervals of repose, ever 
since the day, in the year 1836, when as a boy of 
thirteen he joined the Navy as a midshipman.' 

It will be gratifying to Englishmen to know that 
their distinguished countryman received at his burial all 
the honours due to his high station and noble qualities. 
Such a concourse of people of all ranks and nations had 
never been seen at any public ceremony on the Bosphorus 
as that which, on July 24, accompanied the remains of 
Hobart Pasha to their last resting place in the English 
cemetery at Scutari, not far from the spot where a tall 
granite obelisk records the brave deeds and glorious 
death of those heroes who perished in the Crimean 
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ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE; THEIR NATURE AND 
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McCLELLAN'S LAST SERVICE TO THE REPUBLIC, 

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STONEWALL JACKSON: A MILITARY BIOGRAPHY. By 

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A BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM CULLEN BRYATVT, 

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Containing a full account, from authentic sources, of the poet's ancestry ; of 
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RALPH WALDO EMERSON: POET AND PHILOSOPHER. 
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THE STORY OF MY LIFE. By the late J. Marion Sims, M. D. 
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LIFE AND LETTERS OF FITZ-GREENE HALLECK. 

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LITERATURE IN LETTERS; OR, MANNERS, ART, CRITI- 

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JOHN KEESE, WIT AND LITTERATEUR. A BIO- 
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LIFE OF JAMES W. GRI2iIES. By W. Salter. 8vo. Cloth, 
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LIFE OF EMMA WILLARD. By John Lord, LL. D. With 
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RECOLLECTIONS AND OPINIONS OF AN OLD PI- 
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LIFE OF JOHN RANDOLPH, OF ROANOKE. By 

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ELIHU BURRITT : A MEMORIAL VOLUME, CONTAINING A 
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THE LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES OF DR. LEWIS 
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OUTLINE OF THE PUBLIC LIFE AND SERVICES 
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LIFE AND LETTERS OF EMORY UPTON, COLONEL 
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Mr. T. G. Appleton, it is needless to say, was well known in social and literary 
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LOUIS PASTEUR: HIS LIFE AND LABORS. By his Son-in- 
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" A record in which the verities of science are endowed with the interest of 
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MEMOIRS OF NAPOLEON: HIS COURT AND FAMILY. By 
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This book supplies many valuable and interesting details respecting the 
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